Reclaiming what was Lost
by Riku Uzumaki
Summary: Ike has been gone for 2 years now, after realizing that she should have gone after him Mia chooses to correct her mistake. Main pairings are Ike/Mia and Soren/Ninian... Currently on HIATUS, Sorry! I'm just not motivated to write this story right now!
1. Realizing Something Important

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem**

Chapter 1 

Realizing Something Important

Mia was practicing on her own again since she has nobody else to practice with. Why? You might ask? That's because Ike, the only person to ever beat her in a sparring match left the continent by himself 2 years ago. At first she was fine because she was already planning on traveling the continent in search of strong opponents. The problem now is that she has already done that and proven that she is the strongest warrior on Tellius. Sure, Ike is probably still stronger but he isn't around anymore to fight her. So now Mia is simply lazing around the old Greil Mercenary Fort thinking about the past and all the good times she had with Ike. For some reason she just couldn't get him off her mind, at first she thought that it was because he was the only person able to beat her, but since all her thoughts seemed to be centered on the times that WEREN'T spent sparring for some reason. Right now, she was remembering the time Ike gave her the sacred sword Alondite back during their campaign in the Tower of Guidance.

_-Flashback-_

"_Mia"_

"_Yeah, what is it boss?"_

"_Here, you should probably hang onto this while we face the rest of our opponents from here on in" said Ike handing over Alondite._

"_Wow! You're giving me Zelgius' sword Alondite after all the trouble you went through fighting him? Are you sure you want to give this to me?" said Mia trying to get more information out of him._

"_Yes, I'm sure, it would put my mind at ease knowing that you are using a weapon that you can defend yourself better with"_

"_Alright, thanks for the sword boss! Said Mia in her usual bouncy way, and then Mia thought 'I wonder what he meant by "put my mind at ease" when he said that… meh, probably nothing important.' Thought Mia_

_-End Flashback-_

'Maybe there was some hidden meaning behind what he said back then…' thought Mia, 'Maybe he thinks of me as more than just a sparring partner and friend…'

"Ugh! My head hurts from all this thinking! I've never thought this much before all at once!" Mia groaned over her personal dilemma.

"What's wrong Mia?" said Mist who clearly overheard Mia's groan of exasperation.

"Oh, hey Mist, I'm just wondering what to do next… or where to go next, so far I've got nothing."

"Don't bother lying to me Mia! You were thinking about my brother Ike weren't you?" Mist said with a knowing grin on her face.

"H-how did you know that?!" spluttered Mia.

"Because you were blushing while you were thinking, and you're blushing right now as well" said Mist.

"What makes you think I blush whenever I'm thinking about Ike?" said Mia in a defensive way.

"Because your mind always travels back to that one sparring match when you ended by actually kissing him!"

"That was an accident and you know it!"

"Maybe so but you enjoyed it didn't you?"

"..."

Mia thought back on that fateful sparring match.

_-Flashback-_

_Mia and Ike were having another sparring match and were surprisingly evenly matched for once. The only spectators were Mist, Rhys (for healing), and Titania. Mia was about to deal what she would have thought to be the blow that ended the match since she managed to just barely slip past his guard when it happened. She tripped, luckily Ike broke her fall, but there was one complication to the whole situation. Mia's face crashed into Ike's; when they both realized that they were technically kissing they broke apart blushing profusely. Then they heard laughter they turned to see Mist, Titania, and Rhys laughing like mad people. Oddly though, Mia actually enjoyed the lip contact, although she would never admit it out loud._

_-End Flashback-_

"I'll take your silence as a yes" said Mist, "You're in love with him aren't you?"

"WHAT!!!" shouted Mia in complete surprise.

"Don't bother trying to deny it, it's written all over your face!" said Mist slightly giggling.

"Am not!" protested Mia trying to fool herself.

"The first step is always denial" said Mist in a sing-song like voice.

'Maybe she's right…' thought Mia.

Mia then thought back on all the times she was close to Ike after the accidental kiss. She felt a lot warmer around him for some reason she couldn't explain, and she occasionally blushed for no reason around him too. The worst part of it was when she had the barely uncontrollable urge to grab his arm and lean against him when she sees him looking at the sunrise after one of their duels at dawn. In retrospect it should have been easy for her to figure it out.

'She's right' thought Mia, 'I'm head-over-heels in love with him and it took Mist pressing the subject for me to realize it, man I am dense!'

"You finally realized it just now didn't you?" asked Mist.

"Yeah" said Mia.

"Well what are you waiting for? Pack your bags and go after him!" said Mist proud of what she managed to pull out of Mia.

"I'll get right on it! By the way I will be leaving tomorrow, make sure to say goodbye!"

"Don't worry I intend to"

**And the plot is set… **

**Guess which Fire Emblem continent Ike is on.**

**I will update soon since I have a lot of free time.**


	2. Departure

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem**

**Note: This chapter and most likely the next will short and posted quickly**

Chapter 2

Departure

Mia was standing at the docks near her boat that was already has 3 months worth of supplies already loaded. Now all that was left was for her to say goodbye to her friends.

"Well, I guess this is it, if anyone has any last words to say to me please say them now" said Mia.

"Hn" grunted Shinon walking away choosing to be as anti-social as ever.

Gatrie didn't say anything because he was too busy hitting on anything wearing a skirt.

Oscar wasn't there at the time due to Royal Knights business and Rolf was teaching his students how to be an archer. So now the only people present at the time are Titania, Boyd, Mist, Rhys, and Soren.

"All I have to say is good-luck because you'll probably need it to cross the ocean to another continent" said Titania a little worried for Mia's safety.

"All I can say is that I will be praying for your safety Mia" said Rhys

"Make sure to hit him in the back of the head and tell him that that's my message to him!" said Boyd hoping that he can get one last jab at Ike without worrying about getting hit back.

"Your still a child on the inside aren't you Boyd?" asked Titania.

"Maybe so but I'm proud of it!"

"How do you plan on finding my brother anyway?" asked Mist.

"Well… Alondite should practically work like a compass, except the direction it will be pointing would be towards Ragnell instead of north" said Mia proud of her spontaneous stroke of brilliance.

"That should work but you will still need to gather information from people if you hope to even have a chance of finding him" said Soren being as blunt as ever.

"True, but I think I can pull it off by myself" said Mia being as optimistic as possible.

"Who said that you're going alone?" said Soren

"What, do you plan on going too?" asked Mia

"Actually yes, I do plan on going"

"May I ask why?"

"The reason is because Ike was the only friend I ever had and I don't plan on letting him waltz around some random continent without a tactician helping him out."

"Alright you can come along too, now I know what that traveling sack is for" said Mia knowing that there was probably no way around this.

"Thank you"

"Well, I guess this is good bye everyone… GOOD-BYE TELLIUS, AND HELLO WHO KNOWS WHAT!" shouted Mia for no reason whatsoever.

And with that Tellius' greatest Trueblade and Archsage left Tellius never to be seen again.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Ha, it looks like my little experiment was a success, I have successfully summoned two dragons from the gate and taken a portion of their power!" cackled a dark figure.

However, while the dark figure was boasting about his accomplishment, the two dragons in human form took advantage of his diverted attention and barely managed to escape.

* * *

Meanwhile (Again)…

"**Ike"** said Ashunera

"What is it?"

"**The power that I sent you here to defeat has started to move and is now growing in power" **said the goddess.** "The best way to deal with it right now would be to get as close to some of the Lycian nobles because they will probably be this dark power's first targets. I'm sorry but due to the strain sending my power this far is putting on my body I'm afraid I will have to break contact with you."**

"That's alright," said Ike "I already have a plan on what to do now." *sigh* "I suppose I'll have to dawn the armor of the Black Knight after I join Ostia's armor knights, even if I will only be joining temporarily."

* * *

**So Ike becomes the new Black Knight and is going to temporarily join Ostia's armor knights to track down this dark power.**

**So… does anybody know who the bad guy is now and where the story will be taking place?**

* * *

**Extra: Why Ike left**

It was supposed to be another average day to Ike… that was until a certain divine being appeared from out of nowhere.

"**Ike"** said Ashunera

"Huh? Who are you?"

"**I am Ashunera, the Goddess of Dawn, if you are wondering why I am here, it is because my two halves, Yune and what was left of Ashera reunited. But I'm not here to tell you that. I'm here because I have a request for you"**

"What is it?"

"**The miasma of war is beginning to stir again, it is coming from the west and I am afraid that if it is not stopped before it spreads too far it will engulf Tellius while it is still weak"**

"And what is causing this?"

"**I don't know, all I know is that someone has discovered a dark power and intends to use it to gain a power that may even rival my own when obtained"**

"I suppose I better get packing then."

"**I didn't think it would be that easy to convince you"**

"If I don't nip this problem at the bud while it's still weak it might hurt my friends, I intend on avoiding that."

"**When you get there I'll give you a gift as thanks for helping me with this problem."**

"What is it?"

"**The newly blessed armor of the Black Knight."**

And that is why Ike left


	3. Arrival and Bandits

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem**

Chapter 3

Arrival and Bandits

3 months after their departure from Tellius, Mia and Soren arrived at the port city of Badon. While Soren gathered supplies, Mia chose to to visit the local hub to gather information. Mia got absolutely no information, however a drunken sailor did hit on her.

"Hey baby, are you interested in having a good time?" said drunk sailor slurred.

"Not with you I don't" said Mia completely disgusted by his vulgar attitude.

Then he decided to make a grab for her saying, "That wasn't a request"

And then a very pissed off Mia shouted "AND CLEARLY YOU CAN'T TAKE A HINT!"

And then Mia delivered the most terrifying kick to the balls the world has ever seen causing the drunken sailor to have his head lodged into the ceiling while gripping his two little companions in pain. After that everyone in the bar left the orange garbed trueblade alone, except for an old pirate that decided to give her some information as a reward for the display he just saw.

"Does the person you're looking for happen to carry around a sword similar to yours?" asked an old pirate.

"Huh? Actually yes, have you seen him?" asked Mia with her emerald green eyes now full of hope.

"He arrived in town around two and a half years ago and after resupplying headed north, didn't say where he was going though."

"Thanks for the information, umm"

"Call me Fargus"

"Well then thanks Fargus, do I owe you anything for the information?"

"No, I was jus' repaying you for that little show you put on by lodging that annoying drunk's head in the ceiling, now get out of here before I change my mind."

"Okay then!"

And with that Mia left happy with the information she managed to gather regardless of the fact that a drunken sailor hit on her.

* * *

"Soren! I managed to find out which direction Ike left in!"

"Really? That was fast"

"The trail must be pretty cold since he got here over two years ago but is looks like he headed north."

"Then that's where we're going"

* * *

1 Month Later…

"Grrr! It's been over a month and we still haven't gotten any more leads on where Ike might be!" Mia shouted in exasperation.

"Well the trail is cold, you can't expect to make any progress in the first month" Soren said in a matter of fact-like tone.

"I guess you're right, where are we anyway Soren? We're just north of that country Bern now right?"

"Yes, we're now in the Sacaen plains, to be more specific we are in the territory of the Lorca tribe, maybe they have at least a little information on Ike."

"Maybe, wait is that smoke?!"

"Yes and by the looks of it bandits might be burning a village to the ground"

"No"

Suddenly Mia suffers from a painful flashback.

_-Flashback-_

_A 5-year old Mia was being forced out the back door by her mother and being told to run and take the family's Wo Dao with her._

"_Mia you have to run! You can't let those bandits catch you!" said Mia's mother._

"_But what about you Mommy?" asked the 5-year old Mia._

"_I'll be alright, but please get out of here now!" said her mother desperately as the sounds of pillaging came closer, "Just go!"_

_And with that Mia ran… the next day the whole village was in shambles and a wandering mercenary troupe found Mia crying while clutching the Wo Dao like her life depended on it._

_-End Flashback-_

"Mia look someone managed to escape!" Soren shouted

Mia looked up and noticed that a dark green-haired girl with her hair in a ponytail was slumped over a horse galloping away as fast as it could. After contemplating the situation for a bit Mia made up her mind on what to do.

"Soren, follow her to see if she's alright"

"Ok, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to search for survivors"

"Have you lost your mind!" shouted Soren, "Those bandits are still down there!"

"That's the point"

"What do you mean-" but Soren's words went unheard because Mia was already running in the direction of the burning village.

"Idiot"

And with that, Soren took off after the girl on the horse.

* * *

When Mia reached the village, she realized that that all the villagers were already dead.

"No, I'm too late"

"Hey look over here! Looks like a little wench decided to join in on the fun!"

"Yeah, let's show her how the Taliver bandits treat their new playmates"

All the bandits started to surround Mia and started chuckling and grinning lecherously at her.

"You monsters…" said Mia under her breath.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch that" said one of the bandits getting a little too cocky.

"It doesn't matter" said another bandit, "we don't speak to the dead."

"Yeah, you're right!"

"Then you should all stop talking to each other because each and every one of you have just forfeited their lives!" shouted Mia readying Alondite.

"You little bitch!" shouted another bandit, "looks like we'll have to teach you some manners."

And on that note, Mia attacked intent on slaughtering every single one of them.

* * *

Soren managed to catch up after the horse came to a stop at another village, stopping to catch his breath one of the villagers approached him.

"Do you know her?"

Soren responded by saying "no, but I did see what happened to her village."

"What happened?"

Soren explained what he saw earlier.

The villager only responded by saying, "Taliver."

"Pardon?"

"The Taliver bandits, they were the ones who did this."

"How do you know?"

"The Taliver bandits are the only bandit gang around these parts capable of doing that much damage, not only that, but they are also ruthless and kill for no reason at all except for the fun of it and to see the panic and terror on the faces of their victims."

'_Mia might be in trouble, I should head back and check on her, nah, it'll take more than a gang of bandits to do her in, and she can escape and outrun them if she has to'_

"Why are you here anyway?" asked the villager.

"I followed her because my travelling companion told me to while she went to search for survivors."

"You let a woman take off to face the Taliver bandits by herself?!" said the villager with a look of horror on his face.

"I didn't exactly have a say in the matter, she took off before I could protest, besides, Mia can take care of herself."

"For her sake, I sure hope so…" said the villager ominously.

"Me too"

* * *

Bandits were falling like dominoes around Mia, whenever one tried to shoot her with an arrow, she would kill him with a blast of magical energy from Alondite, and if one tried to slash her with an axe, she would cleave him in two before he could even finish lifting his axe. The bandits couldn't even see her with the exception of a blur of violet and orange, and if they saw that much they were as good as dead.

"She can't be stopped!" shouted a panicked bandit before being cut in half.

"We have to get out of here before we're all slaughtered" shouted another before being killed himself.

Over the next few minutes all of the Taliver bandits were killed before they could land so much as a hit on Mia, and soon they were all dead.

Once the adrenaline wore off, Mia collapsed from exhaustion panting. Unknown to her, the bandit leader was hiding, waiting for her to get tired, and at that moment he chose to take his time in hopes of seeing a look of horror on Mia's face.

"I admit that your skill caught me off guard, but it's over, once I kill you I will take that beautiful sword of yours and then have some 'fun' with your corpse!"

'_Damn, I missed one, but I think I can handle him'_

The look on Mia's face was not what the bandit leader expected, he wanted horror and fear, but instead, all he saw was a confident smirk and the image of an unbreakable will in Mia's eyes.

"If you think I'm going down that easily, you've got another thing coming, I've fought battles a lot harder than this. You're still nothing compared to me!" proclaimed Mia defiantly.

"You insolent bitch!" was all he could utter before Mia's adrenaline kicked in again giving her enough energy to cleave the bandit leader in two from her still crouching position.

"Sorry, but I can't allow myself to die yet, especially in a place like this" said Mia with her back to the corpse still falling to the ground.

After that, Mia whispered a silent prayer to the victims before walking off in the direction the horse went, planning on meeting up with Soren.

* * *

**How do you like Mia now? By the way, if you have any titles Mia should be given after pulling off this feat, please tell me about it in the form of a review.**


	4. Fame and a New Friend

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem, if I did Ike and Mia would have support conversations and Mia would have a more active role in the game.**

**I have chosen to give Mia the nickname "Orange Flash," thank you for the idea The Light Hidden In The Shadow (by the way, isn't it about time for you to update your own FE fic, you haven't updated it in over a year and it has an amazing plot)**

Chapter 4

Fame and a New Friend

Mia just made it to the next town over by nightfall where she hoped Soren stopped at, when she made it to the gates, her legs finally gave out beneath her and she collapsed face-forward and entered a state of unconsciousness.

Soren and the villager that he now knew as Yahiko heard a random noise outside and decided to check it out.

When they got outside they immediately noticed a person covered in an orange cloak riddled with cuts with a white-bladed sword with a golden hilt strapped to the person's back. Soren immediately recognized her as Mia, after all, who else wore an orange coat and wielded a sword like that. At that moment they ran towards her while Soren called out her name, "Mia!"

When they got to her side, Yahiko flipped her onto her back while Soren checked her heartbeat and breathing. When Soren was done he let out a sigh of relief and said, "she's ok, she only fainted."

"Do you think she actually took down every single bandit that was over there?" asked Yahiko.

"Most likely" said Soren, "she never did leave a fight half-finished."

At that moment another person ran through the gates panting as if he just ran a marathon while spluttering incoherent words.

At that moment Yahiko said, "Calm down and compose yourself man!"

After he caught his breath he began to speak again, "I-I saw everything that happened at the village that Taliver just razed, the entire troupe of bandits were taken down by a single woman wearing an orange cloak, not only that, but when she moved, all I could see was a flash of orange!"

"What happened to the bandits?" asked Yahiko.

"Dead, the Orange Flash killed every single one of them."

"Orange Flash?" asked Soren.

"Yeah, I figured that I should spread word of her with that title, someone with that kind of speed and skill deserves to be recognized, oh, wait, that's her on the ground right now! What happened?"

"By the looks of things, she fainted from exhaustion, she did just recently take down an entire bandit syndicate" responded Soren.

"Oh, said the man sheepishly, "well anyway, I have to get going, I'm sure there are a whole lot of people that will want to hear about this!" and with that, he ran off.

"Well that was weird…" said Yahiko while sweat dropping, "I still can't believe that this woman took on the entire force of Taliver and won."

"Well I did tell you that it would take more than a bunch of bandits to do Mia in, or in this case, the Orange Flash. Come on, let's get her inside" said Soren

"Right"

* * *

The Next Morning…

Lyn woke up feeling like she had an axe lodged into her skull. She thought back on the previous day to figure out why.

'_Let's see… I remember waking up, Mom asked me to get some water from the river, everyone that drank from the river started getting sick; me included, and then… TALIVER!'_

Lyn tried to get up but a strong hand firmly put her back down.

Lyn looked up to see her old friend Yahiko kneeling down beside her and a raven haired man with an odd birthmark on his forehead leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.

"Yahiko, let me go, I'm fine, I have to go back and see what happened to my village!"

"All you'll find there are the corpses of both the villagers and the Taliver bandits" said the raven-haired man.

"Y-you mean they're all-"

"Dead? Yes, the bandits killed the villagers and when my traveling companion, who by the way, is fast-asleep on the other side of the room, killed the bandits all by herself."

Lyn looked to her left and noticed a violet haired woman fast-asleep facing the other way.

"How did she do it? No single person swordsman could take down that many bandits with only one sword, even if she could last against them her sword would break!"

"That's because her sword is unbreakable and she's literally capable of taking down over 50 bandits before feeling tired, she's a complete stamina freak at times."

Lyn looked at her in awe wondering how a single person could be so strong.

"Uhhhmmm…" Mia moaned while slowly waking up.

"Welcome back to the land of the living Mia" said Yahiko.

"Do I know you?"

"No, the only reason I know your name is because your friend told me."

"Oh"

"Good to see that your recklessness didn't get you killed yesterday, you got extremely lucky back there" said Soren.

"Luck? Who needs luck when you're a kick-ass Trueblade like I am!

"Trueblade?" asked Lyn.

"A trueblade is a person who has ascended past the ranks of the average swordsman" Soren said.

"I didn't think that that was possible" said Lyn.

"There have been some records of swordsmen reaching that class, but it is not an easy accomplishment."

"While this conversation is interesting, you both should get some more rest, Lyn; you are still recovering from being poisoned by those bandits, and you, Mia; are still recovering from extreme exhaustion" lectured Yahiko.

"He's right, if we're going to leave tomorrow Mia, you need to be at full strength" said Soren.

"Pft, alright, but I'm not thrilled by it" said Mia slightly irritated (but on the inside she's already about to nod off).

"I guess I could use the rest…" Lyn said already drifting off.

After that, both girls fell asleep the second their heads hit their respective pillows.

* * *

The Next Day…

Mia woke up at the crack of dawn like she always does and noticed that Lyn was still asleep. _'She probably isn't a morning person'_ Mia thought, but she was promptly proven wrong when Lyn groaned and slowly got up.

"Hmm? Oh, good morning Mia" said Lyn just getting out of her morning stupor.

"I guess it is, how are you feeling Lyn?"

"As well as could be expected given what happened."

"Oh, sorry"

"Don't be, you were the one that avenged them after all, without you Taliver would still be running around causing all sorts of mayhem and madness."

"I suppose you're right…"

"So what are you going to do now?" asked Lyn

"I'm going to go back to what I was doing in the first place, gather information on where the man I'm looking for went."

"And just who is this man? Did he do something to you or steal something from you?"

"Yeah, he's friend of mine that stole my heart and disappeared about 2 and a half years ago before I could tell him."

"Soooo, this is somewhat like a quest for love?" Lyn slyly asked while smirking.

'_I knew I should have kept that on a need-to-know basis'_ "I guess you could call it that…"

"So then, why don't I join you on your little quest."

"Are you sure you want to?"

"Yeah, it's not like I have anything else to do, after all, a bandit attack kinda cleared my schedule."

"Oh, right" Mia said sheepishly.

"So then, when are we going?"

"How about as soon as we deal with those two bandits outside?" said Soren just entering the room.

"What?" asked Lyn and Mia simultaneously.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Two bandits were starting to raid the village when Mia, Lyn, and Soren exited the house.

"So then, what's the plan?" asked Lyn.

"Do we really need one? I could deal with both of them by myself" boasted Mia

"Are you sure? Aren't you still wounded from your fight with Taliver?" asked Lyn a little worried.

"They never even so much as scratched me! All I had to overcome was exhaustion!"

Little did Lyn and Mia know was that while they were talking, Soren moved on ahead and killed the first bandit with a single blast of Arcwind.

"While you two are arguing, why don't I deal with these bandits instead? They're hardly worth our time anyway" said Soren in a bored tone.

"If you say so" said Mia a little disappointed that she wouldn't get a chance to fight.

A few seconds later, Soren confronted the other bandit.

"Who do you think you are? You're no match for Battha the Beast!" proclaimed the arrogant bandit.

"I think I'm Soren, and I will be your executioner, let's see if you actually deserve the title you just gave yourself."

"You insolent whelp!" With that said, the bandit tried to hit Soren with his axe… only to completely miss him and have Soren grab onto his arm, effectively holding him in one place and rendering him immobile.

"Actually, you're no match for me; an axe wielded by an amateur with no training is nothing more than blunted metal. Goodbye, _Arcwind!_"

Once Soren finished speaking, a miniature tornado burst out of Soren's hand and punched a gaping hole in Battha's chest, ending his life instantly.

"I think it's time we get going" Soren said while grabbing his things.

"Right!" Lyn and Mia said simultaneously.

"So you're really going with us Lyn?" Soren asked.

"Of course, it's not like I have anything better to do now"

"Yay! Now I finally have a sparring partner to travel around with me!" shouted Mia with glee.

"No offence Mia, but a sparring match with you is probably the last thing I'd want considering how powerful you are"

"Come on! You'll never get any stronger if all you have to fight are a bunch of undertrained bandits, why don't I go easy on you, would that make you feel any better?"

"Well…"

"Pleeeeaaassse!"

"Alright, I could use the practice if I have any hope of catching up to you."

"Yay!"

'_Why do I have the odd feeling like I'm being watched?' thought Lyn._

* * *

On a ledge overlooking the village…

"Is she the target?"

"Looks like it"

"Do we attack now?"

"No, attacking now would be suicide"

"Why is that, there's only three of them and four of us?"

"Idiot! Numbers aren't everything! I'm not sure about the target or the mage, but the one in the orange cloak is the Orange Flash! She could take down all four of us in less than five seconds!"

"So what do we do?"

"We follow them and wait until she's alone or at least away from the Orange Flash, she can't be with her at all times, and when they are a good distance apart-"

"We strike"

"Yes, you'll be dead soon enough Lyndis, you won't be a threat to Lord Lundgren's plans for very long…"

**And that's the end of chapter 4!**

**I'll have to brush up on what some of the character's say since I will be introducing the rest of the Fire Emblem 7 cast soon enough, in other words, I'll have to play the game from the start all over again… not that I mind…**

**Please Review **

**Reviews make me happy :)**


	5. Knights, Heritage, and Enemies

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem**

**I have finally gotten around to refreshing my memory on the game and what some of the characters' lines are. Adding Soren, Mia, and eventually Ike is gonna be a hassle…**

**Note: Mark does not exist in my story, Soren has taken his position, and I have also sped up the storyline a bit because in the original story, Lyn starts her journey 6 months after Taliver destroys her home.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Knights, Heritage, and Enemies

Mia, Soren, and their new traveling companion head toward Bulgar, the commercial center of Sacae to resupply for their journey. However, Lyn didn't know that she will discover something that will alter her life forever.

"This is Bulgar, the biggest city in all of Sacae, if we need anything for our journey, this would be the best place to find them" said Lyn while pointing in the direction of some shops.

However… before the group could make any progress towards the shops, a knight in green armor interrupted them in the most unexpected of ways and shouted out.

"Oh, my heart! What dazzling visions of loveliness!" shouted the green knight.

"Hm?" grunted Lyn while Mia at the same time grunted "eh?"

"Wait O beauteous ones! Would either of you not favor me with your name? Or better yet, your company?" said the green knight.

"Where are you from, sir knight, that you speak so freely to a stranger?" asked Lyn.

"My thought exactly, also, isn't it customary to give your name before asking someone else of theirs?" asked Mia quoting a saying she learned from an old friend.

"Ha! I thought you'd never ask! I am from Lycia. I hail from Caelin, home to men of passion and fire! And you are quite right, where are my manners? My name is Sain."

"Shouldn't that be 'home to callow oafs with loose tongues?'" asked Lyn with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oooh… You're even lovely when you're cruel."

"Let's get going, I have nothing left to say" said Lyn, annoyed by Sain's antics.

"I agree, I don't really enjoy speaking people that are clearly womanizers" said Mia equally annoyed.

"Wait! Please!" Sain cried out.

"Sain! Hold your tongue!" said a red armored knight.

"Ah, Kent! My boon companion! Why is your expression so severe?" asked Sain.

"If your manners were more serious I wouldn't have to be so severe! We still have a mission to complete!" Kent berated.

"I know that, but how could I remain silent in the presence of such beauty? It would have been discourteous!" asked Sain.

"What do you know of courtesy!?" Kent asked incredulously.

"You're blocking the road, please move aside" Soren asked with his patience nearing its limit.

"Would you be so kind as to move you're horses?" asked Lyn.

"Of course, my apologies." Kent said.

"Thank you, at least you seem honorable enough" Lyn said.

"Unlike a certain green-clad knight we know" added Mia.

"Hm? Pardon me but have we met before?" Kent asked Mia.

"I beg your pardon?" Lyn asked.

"Hey! No fair Kent! I saw her first! But I suppose I can go after the Violet haired beauty…" Sain said.

"Not interested" Mia said immediately, determined not to so much as give him the time of day.

"Pft! It seems there are no decent men among Lycia's knights! Let's go Mia, Soren, I've run out of patience!" Lyn said, clearly irritated.

"As if getting hit on by a drunken sailor a month ago was bad enough…" Mia said to herself.

Soren didn't say anything.

And on that note, the trio left.

"Wait please! It's not like that" Kent pleaded.

"Sain, you lout!" Kent scolded.

"Huh? Not like that? I thought you were-"

"In case you haven't noticed, I am NOT you!!! Kent shouted, "We have to follow her, I suspect the green-haired girl might be-"

"Be what? She's our mission? Surely you jest! Wait" Sain said while Kent almost left him behind.

* * *

"We're being followed" Mia whispered to Soren.

"By more than one force, those knights are alone and seem to be harmless, the other force has split a little and is most likely sending an advance scout" Soren said using his tactical genius.

"Sooo, I should subtly sneak near the main force and wipe them out while you and Lyn deal with the scouts, and if necessary, the knights?" Mia asked.

"Well, it seems you have a bit of a tactical mind in you after all, that does seem to be the best choice right now."

"Shall we set the plan in motion?" "Go ahead."

"Ah! I just remembered that there was something I should have bought back in Bulgar!" Mia shouted as if she just remembered something while she was actually setting the plan in motion.

"Should we go back? I'll go with you if you want, those knights are probably gone by now anyway" Lyn asked and quoted.

"No need, I'll go by myself, I'll grab what I was looking for and catch up to you guys before you could say explosive potato!" said Mia while she back tracked and prepared to find their stalkers.

'_Why would I want to say that? Where did she come up with that anyway?'_ "If you say so, just try not to fall too far behind." Lyn said, slightly worried.

Mia didn't catch that last part because she was already gone.

'_This should be a piece of cake! I give them 10 minutes after I get my hands on these stalkers!'_ Mia thought. Then she saw marks of the stalkers' presence, _'scratch that, make that 5 minutes!'_

* * *

"Run!!! We're being pursued!" Lyn shouted, "Is it those knights from town?"

No, it's not them, these men are out for blood" said Soren.

Then one of the men approached them.

"Heh heh hehh… Aren't you the pretty one! You're name is Lyndis is it not?" he asked.

"What did you call me? Who are you?" Lyn asked, shocked that this man knew her full name.

"Such a waste, an absolute waste, the things I'll do for gold… ah, well. Time to die wench! Come on out boys!"

After the bandit said that, a group of 6 bandits came out of hiding (I added more due to Soren's presence).

"Soren, I'm not sure we can handle this many of them! … but I'm not going to give up!"

After Lyn said that, the knights caught up to them.

"Hey! There she is!"

"Whew… finally caught up…" Sain said. "Hold! You there! What is your business? Such numbers against a girl and her traveling companion? You are all coward!"

"You, you're from-"

"We can discuss that later, it seems these ruffians mean to do you harm. If it's a fight they want, allow us to even the odds a little." Kent said.

'_Personally, I think I could handle them all on my own…'_ Soren thought.

"Stand back! I'll take care of this… wait, weren't there three of you last time we met?" Sain asked.

"If you must know, Mia is dealing with these bandits' reinforcements, I'll give them 5 minutes before she returns" Soren said.

"Wait! How did you know of the rest of the group?" asked the bandit.

"Unlike the people you must have attacked before, Mia and I have seen war and lived through it, it's only natural that we would have better senses than the people you've victimized before" Soren said in a matter of factly way.

"What makes you think that a lone woman can take down 12 men?"

"You haven't heard of her yet have you?

"What? Surely you're not saying that the Orange Flash is real? She's a myth made to scare away bandits!"

"Believe what you want, either way… your life ends today!" said Soren.

(The battle is pretty much the same as it was in the game with the exception of Soren participating)

* * *

"Found them!" Mia whispered to herself.

While Mia was hiding in the shadows, she chose to eavesdrop on the leader's conversation.

"It seems that mage that's with them is more trouble than I thought, no matter, everyone else, let's go! We have to kill that girl if we are to collect our pay!"

"And just who would be paying you to kill my friend?" Mia asked revealing herself.

"I-It's the O-orange Flash!" the leader stuttered in fear.

"I asked you a question, please answer and maybe I'll let you live."

"Never! The pay for this is well worth the risk of confronting you! I bet those reports are exaggerated anyway! Boys! Take her down!"

"Don't say I didn't warn you…" Mia said in a sing-song-voice.

And with that… all hell broke loose.

* * *

"Damn knights, always messing in others' affairs! And where are my reinforcements?!" shouted the bandit.

"Dead" said a voice that came out of nowhere.

"What! Impossible! Who are you?"

Mia stepped out from the trees saying, "I see no reason for giving my name to someone who's about to die…"

"You? Kill ME! Ha! What a-"

He never got to finish speaking, Mia cut him in two in a blur of orange and violet.

"That's what you get for messing with my friends" Mia said.

* * *

After Mia arrived and disposed the last bandit, the group reformed to question the knights.

"And now for these Lycian knights… you were going to share your story with me, correct?" Lyn asked.

"Yes, we have ventured from Caelin in Lycia, in search of someone." Kent said.

"Lycia… That's the country past the mountains in the southwest, right?" Soren more stated than said.

"Correct. We've come as messengers to the lady Madelyn, who eloped with a nomad some 19 years ago."

"Madelyn?"

"Our lord, the marquess of Caelin's only daughter. He was heartbroken that his own daughter abandoned him so. He eventually just simply declared that he had no daughter." Kent said.

Then Sain picked up where he left off saying, "and then this year, we received a letter from Lady Madelyn saying that she, her husband, and their daughter were living happily on the Sacae plains. The marquess was ecstatic to learn he had a granddaughter. I can still remember the smile on his face when he announced that he suddenly became a grandfather. The granddaughter's name is Lyndis, it was also the name of the marquess's wife, who passed away at an early age."

"Lyndis?"

"That she should bear this name thawed the marquess's heart. Now, his only wish is to meet his daughter's family at least once. This is why we're here. We didn't know that Lady Madelyn died a few days after the letter was sent" Sain said. "We only learned this shortly after we arrived in Bulgar, along with rumors of the beauteous Orange Flash."

"Don't start hitting on me! I already told you that I'm not interested!"

"Oh, so cruel! Yet looking so beautiful at the same time!"

"Hmph!" Mia chose to just turn away altogether, not even bothering to spare Sain a glance.

"But we also learned that he daughter was still alive and that she was saved by a white-cloaked mage. I…I knew who you were immediately. You are the lady Lyndis." Kent said.

"Why would you think that…?"

"Your resemblance to your departed mother is remarkable."

"You knew my mother?"

"No, but I have seen her portraits in Castle Caelin."

"To the rest of the tribe, I was always Lyn, but when I was with my parents… just the three of us, I was Lyndis. It's all so strange, first I lost my parents and now I suddenly have a grandfather."

"Lyn, didn't that bandit also call you Lyndis?" asked Soren.

"You're right! He did!"

"He was a henchman for Lord Lundgren, wasn't he?" said Sain.

"Lundgren? Who's he?" asked Lyndis.

"He's the marquess's younger brother, everyone assumed lady Madelyn was gone forever. This made Lord Lundgren heir to the marquess's title." Kent said.

"So that means that Lyn's very existence is an obstacle to her granduncle's ambitions" Soren inquired thoughtfully.

"Correct" Kent said.

"But I don't have any interest in inheriting any title!"

"Unfortunately, your granduncle probably won't believe that. I believe that the attempts on your life will continue." Sain said.

"What should I do?" Lyn asked more to herself than to anyone else.

"Why don't you accompany them to Caelin? Continuing on the way might be dangerous, but you do want to see your grandfather, right?" asked Mia.

"I feel like I don't have a choise, alright I'll go to Caelin." Lyn said.

* * *

While they begin traveling again…

"Well this changes everything, do you guys still want to stay with me or is this where we part ways?" Lyn stated.

"We're staying with you Lyn and there is nothing you can do about it! Besides, it's not like we had a set destination to begin with, who knows, we might run into Ike along the way." Mia said.

"Thank you! I'm glad I have your support. You do agree with this, don't you Soren?"

"She's right, we don't have a set destination, so we may as well just follow you for the time being."

"Thank you, both of you" Lyn said.

"Think nothing of it! What are friends for?" said Mia.

* * *

**That was a pain to write, I'm gonna try to find a way to make the next one easier to write.**

**So anyway… please review, or Mia will throw Alondite at you.**


	6. Mani Katti

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem (Disclaimers are beginning to become a pain)**

**Note: I am going to be paraphrasing a lot more stuff to make this a little shorter.**

Chapter6

Mani Katti

Mai and her group traveled to the Northeast outskirts of Bulgar to an ancient temple that is sacred to the people of Sacae. Lyn wanted to go there before truly starting their journey because it is a tradition of her people to pray for their well-being at the temple before going on a long journey. However, Lyn wasn't aware that that she would inherit something.

"Mia, Soren; lets first stop here for a bit. There is a sacred sword enshrined in an alter to the east of here. The people of Sacae go there to pray for safety at the beginning of a long jouney, so would you guys mind if we stop there for a bit?"

"Not at all! I would like to see this sword as well, it probably won't compare to Alondite here," Mia pointed at her sword, "but it probably is impressive."

"The teachings of Elimine have the most followers in Elibe. It is nice to see that the ancient customs are still followed in some places at least" Kent said.

After that; Lyn, Mia, Soren, Kent, and Sain took off in the direction of the shrine.

Meanwhile, a group of thugs intent on stealing the shrine's sacred sword, the Mani Katti, invaded the temple, and thus, caused an uproar. When the leader found out that he couldn't use the sword, he decided to tear down the entire shrine.

Lyn's group was almost at the shrine when they were approached by a woman that had worry written all over her face.

"I beg your pardon, but are you headed to the alter?" she asked.

"Yes, we are" Lyn responded.

"Then you must hurry and help the priest there! I saw a band of local thugs head in there not too long ago. They must have gone in there to steal the sacred sword!"

"They're going to steal the Mani Katti? I can't allow this to happen!"

"You look like a virtuous group. Please, help him!"

"Don't worry miss, those thugs won't last longer than one of Sain's attempts to get a girlfriend!" Mia assured/joked.

"Hey!" Sain cried out indignantly.

After Mia finished assuring the woman, she walked away.

"So what do we plan on doing Lyndis?" Sain asked.

"If we are to go to the priest's aid, you'll need to prepare first" Soren quoted.

"You're right… we'll prepare our equipment, and then take down those thugs!" Lyn said.

And with that, the battle began.

* * *

When the battle started, Kent and Sain teamed up and dealt with the thugs on the outside of the shrine while Soren found a weak spot at the side of the shrine and broke it down for a quick entrance. Lyn didn't approve of this tactic but was in no position to argue. While Soren defended the makeshift entrance, Mia chose to deal with the thugs at the real entrance while Lyn dealt with the leader, Glass.

"Who do you think you are? Do you really think that you can defeat me?! My sword style is flawless! You won't even be able to hit me!"

While Glass was too busy boasting, Lyn managed to grab the still sheathed Mani Katti and get it away from Glass.

"Why you little! You'll pay for that!"

Glass lunged at Lyn and started swinging wildly at her.

'_Flawless sword style? I can see so many openings in his guard that it's not even funny…'_ Lyn thought.

By sheer bad luck, Glass managed to disarm Lyn, mostly because she was backed into a wall and could only block with her sword in a one handed grip because her other hand was holding onto the Mani Katti.

"I told you that you couldn't win! Now to end this!"

Glass tried to end the fight with Lyn by bringing his sword down on her head… only for Lyn to roll between his legs and deliver a swift kick to the groin, causing him to double over in pain. While Glass was distracted holding his… um, yeah… Lyn ran to recover her sword. Once she picked it up, Glass recovered and glared at her in pure hatred and yelled.

"You little bi***! I'll kill you for that! I'll have you know that not even the Orange Flash could beat me!"

"Oh really? Prove it!" Mia said from behind him with a confident smirk on her face.

Glass then had a horrified look on his face when he found out that he was face-to-face with the infamous Orange Flash. But it quickly disappeared when he found out that the Orange Flash is in fact, a woman. He then started laughing.

"Hahahaha! The infamous Orange Flash is a woman! This is rich! Clearly all those rumors are all hype! There is no way a WOMAN can be that good with a sword!" (Numerous tick-marks started appearing on Mia's forehead)

"Ha! My name is Glass and I will kill this phony and become a legend in her place as the slayer of the Orange Flash!"

"Well then, I hope you're ready to be shattered, Glass… (Pun intended) because the only thing you'll be known as when today is over is as a CHAUVINIST PIG!" Mia roared out while darting off at Glass at inhuman speeds, clearly pissed off at being belittled because of her gender.

Before Glass even realized what happened, his sword was shattered and he found Alondite's blade protruding from his gut. All he could gasp out before dying was the word, "Impossible, how could I be beaten… by a woman…" and with that Glass was no more.

"Chauvinist pig!" Mia spat out in disgust.

* * *

After the battle, the priest thanked the group for saving him, and more importantly, thanked Lyn for saving the Mani Katti.

"Thanks to you, I am unharmed and the Mani Katti is safe, you have my gratitude. Now as a token of my gratitude, I shall allow you to lay hands on the Mani Katti with my spell removed from it. Touch the blade's pattern, and pray for a safe journey."

"Oh, thank you so much!" Lyn said.

Suddenly, the sword started behaving oddly.

"Hm?" the priest reacted.

"What? Did… the sword… It's glowing."

"It's the power of the spirits" the priest said, "Lyn, they have looked into your soul, and are now calling out to you."

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"You are its rightful owner. You are the Mani Katti's wielder."

"No… I can't… I couldn't…"

"It is the sword's wish. If you require proof, draw it from its sheath."

Lyn drew the sword.

"It came out effortlessly…"

"I never dared to hope that I might meet the sword's wielder in my lifetime. I am fortunate to see your sword reach your hands"

"My sword?"

"It is time for you to go, Lyn. I know that you will face many ordeals. It is time for you to grip this sword and face your destiny head-on."

"Yes…Yes, sir!"

* * *

A few hours later away from the shrine…

"So this is the Mani Katti… a blade with no equal" Sain said looking at the sword.

"What are you talking about?! That sword may be impressive, but Alondite is WAY better! It can shoot waves of energy out of it!" Mia protested.

"Mia, you are 21 now if I'm not mistaken" Soren said.

"Yeah, so?"

"Act your age"

"NEVER!"

And while Soren and Mia argued…

"This is all so unbelievable. What is most likely the most famous sword in all of Sacae… is in my hand right now" Lyn said in modest disbelief.

"It's not so strange, many legends actually tell similar tales… special blades do call out to their proper owners. And yet, when I saw you draw the Mani Katti… I felt something extraordinary" Kent said.

"Yeah, I felt it too" Mia said just getting back from her argument with Soren.

"That sword was waiting for you, you were meant to draw it" Kent finished.

"Stop it! I… I'm not anything special!"

'_The Mani Katti says differently…'_ Mia thought.

"Think of it this way Lyn" Soren said, "Some weapons feel more comfortable in your hand, right? Well, the Mani Katti feels comfortable in your hands; it doesn't look like anyone else in our group can wield it. Does that make it easier to accept?"

"Well, it does feel right in my hand. A sword that only I can wield… that seems reasonable enough. I'll have to care for it well…"

* * *

Meanwhile, back at castle Caelin…

"What! Madelyn's daughter is still alive?!" Lord Lundgren shouted in anger.

"Yes, Lord Lundgren. The girl is traveling with our knights Kent and Sain. It also looks like she is traveling with a powerful mage and someone who appears to be the newly named Orange Flash. What should we do, we could probably handle the girl, Kent, and Sain, maybe the mage… but the Orange Flash is a different story. I heard that she took down an entire legion of bandits by herself" said a nameless soldier.

"Bah! I heard that all of northern Bern is full of bandits, even the Orange Flash won't last very long there. They won't make it here; I'm more concerned with my older brother. His life must end quickly, The poison… there must be no blunders." Lundgren said.

"Yes, m'lord. He doesn't suspect a thing, and he continues to drink it. The marquess's death, due to "sudden illness" is not far off."

"Excellent… soon… soon, Caelin will be mine!"

* * *

**END!**

**Please review… and while you're at it, please get some friends of yours to read this as well.**

**I need more reviews to stay motivated to continue making this story!**


	7. Mercenaries Again

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem**

**BTW I'm making a Naruto/DragonBall crossover but am stuck on a name. If anyone finds the time to check my profile, please vote on a name after reading the summary.**

Mercenaries… Again

After Lyn obtained the Mani Katti, she and the rest of the group headed west, to Lycia, and Lyn's destiny. But first, they had to go through the mountain range that separates Sacae from Bern. There are many bandits lurking here, the worst were the Taliver, but even though they are gone, there are still those that take advantage of the damage they left behind.

When Lyn and the group reached town, all they saw was the result of one of Taliver's final raids and some were more horrified than others.

"This place… It's…" Lyn said horrified.

"Completely destroyed…" Mia finished starting to suffer from flashbacks of her own village being destroyed.

"The area is in ruins. Why doesn't the marquess do anything to help?" Sain asked.

"Taliver Mountain was home to a gang of vicious and ruthless bandits and there is a good chance that another group took its place. No marquess has any power here… My village was near here, on the other side of the mountain. My people were…" Lyn started to get upset at this point. "The Taliver bandits suddenly showed up, it took only one day. If there were any survivors other than me… I wouldn't know… they were soulless beasts; I will never-ever forgive them even if they are dead. NEVER!" Lyn ranted.

"I don't blame you, I went through something exactly the same. A group of bandits once destroyed my home too. I was the only survivor, once I became strong enough and obtained the title of Swordmaster, I went back and found out that those bandits were still there and turned my former home into their base of operations… I killed every last one of them in the name of revenge. At the end… I felt horrible… I-I felt like I became the very thing I set out to destroy. If Ike, the person I'm trying to find right now, wasn't there to help me back then… I'd probably be an emotional wreck right now. I'm glad I took out the Taliver bandits when I did, because if I didn't… you would have walked down the same path I walked down, and then reached the same result, except, you might not have had anyone to help you in the end" Mia said a little downcast.

"…" Lyn was speechless; she was just simply astonished by how similar Mia's life was to hers. Let's-let's see what we can do to help around here before moving on…"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the center of town, a Pegasus knight landed on a bandit and was now being hassled by them.

"Wait right there little lady!" Bandit #1 said, "What are you going to do to apologize? Huh?"

"Uh… I… That is, I…" the Pegasus knight stuttered.

"Hey, she's quite a catch, eh, buddy?" Bandit#2 said, "I bet the boss'd give us a pretty penny for her."

"Yeah. She roughed me up a bit, so I figure fair's fair. It's no more'n she deserves." Bandit#1 responded.

"I… I…"

"What are we gonna do with the flying mule?" Bandit#2 asked.

"Don't you dare touch her!" the Pegasus knight said, determined to protect her Pegasus.

"What? You watch your mouth girlie!" Bandit#2 said outraged.

"Do what you will with me, just… let her go. Please, I beg you."

"Ha ha ha! Silly twit! Pegasi can only be found in Ilia. They're rare beasts, worth a lot more than you! We can sell it for a mountain of gold. Let it go? HA!"

"No, you can't…"

"C'mon! Let's move!"

* * *

Just then, Lyn and the group made it to the center of town and saw the Pegasus knight being hassled by bandits.

"What's going on? Be on your guard Lyndis. Some sort of commotion is going on over there" Kent said noticing the commotion.

Lyn noticed the Pegasus knight instantly. "That's… a Pegasus. Is that…"

Lyn ran towards the commotion with Mia right on her heels. "Florina? Is that you Florina?"

Florina then noticed Lyn when she heard her voice and ran towards her. "Ah! Lyn, is that you?"

"Florina! What are you doing here?"

"Lyn! Is that really you? I… I…"

"Come now, no crying!" Lyn consoled her.

"Sorry"

Then Soren and the others caught up.

"I'm guessing that you are acquaintances?" Soren asked.

"She's my friend. This is Florina, a Pegasus knight in training from Ilia. She's a little bit uncomfortable around men" Lyn said while Florina hid behind her back, "Tell me Florina, what happened here?"

"Well… um… when I heard that you had left… I decided to follow you. Then I saw this village… I flew down to ask if anyone knew where you were, but I didn't see these two, and… well…"

"Your Pegasus landed on them didn't it?" Lyn asked.

"Well… um… a little…"

"Aha! You heard her!" Bandit#2 said suddenly appearing behind Florina. Causing her to hide behind Lyn, "She just admitted her guilt! She stepped on my friend so now she has to pay!"

Lyn was not amused, "Did you apologize, Florina?" Lyn asked.

"Yes, I told them I was sorry multiple times, but they wouldn't listen" Florina responded while Lyn consoled her.

"Listen, she's clearly sorry. So can't you just let this pass? Neither of you appear to be injured or anything" Lyn asked.

"Not a chance. The girl goes with us, by force if necessary!" Bandit#1 roared.

"Tch! Idiots!" Soren said as the bandits ran off for reinforcements.

* * *

"Before we start picking off these bandits, we should probably warn any remaining civilians of the bandits' presence" Kent said.

"Good idea, I'll check that house over there" Lyn said pointing to the nearest house.

While Lyn was busy meeting the archer in there, Mia was busy picking off bandits to the South while Soren gave directions and killed any bandit that got within range of his spells.

When Florina finally took down her first bandit, she noticed Wil, their newest ally and panicked, realizing that he's an archer.

"Lyn! What do I do?! There's an archer!!!" Florina cried out.

"What? Where!?" Lyn asked looking around, when she realized that Florina was referring to Wil, she was relieved. "Oh, that's Wil"

"Hi! You're one of Lyn's friends right?" Wil asked Florina.

"Um… … …"

"What… What is it? Are you alright?" Wil asked.

"She's fine, her name is Florina and she's a little timid around men, and you've got a bow" Lyn explained.

"Oh! So you must be a Pegasus knight!" Wil realized, "I apologize for frightening you, but I do understand your fear of archers"

Florina stuttered and apologized.

"I understand your fear of bows, but you really should only be afraid of the enemy's archers, not your own" Wil explained.

"Yes… of course…"

The battle was rather redundant and uneventful. Soren directed everyone, Kent and Sain worked as a team, Florina preformed hit-and-run maneuvers over walls, Wil picked off bandits from behind the walls, and Lyn cut through the axe wielding bandits easily. They eventually reached the lead bandit whose name is unimportant because he will soon be dead.

Lyn chose to confront the lead bandit with Wil covering her from behind.

However, before Lyn challenged him, she asked him a question. "Hey, listen! There's something I wanted to ask you"

"Begging for your life so soon, wench?" the bandit asked snidely.

Lyn ignored the comment, "Are you… a remnant of the Taliver bandits?"

"Taliver? Those greedy monsters? We're nothing like them!! Those fiends will even kill women and children! We're from Ganelon, and we know a little something about honor. We don't harm women for one thing. Heh heh heh. After all, why kill what you can sell…"

Mia showed up at that point and heard every word, "Ok that's it! Kick his ass Lyn and show him what happens to those who disrespect women like that!" Mia yelled, visibly pissed off at the bandit.

"If you turn your tail and flee now I'll spare your life, if not… you're dead" Lyn said grimly.

"You… you… No more courtesies! I'm gonna personally teach you to watch your tongue!!!"

The bandit jumped at Lyn, only for her to side-step him and run her iron sword through his gut and then left him to die.

'_He's not even worth using the Mani Katti on'_ Lyn thought.

The bandit however, left them some dying words, "You'll live to regret this… my brothers… the Ganelon bandits will not let this stand…" and after that, he died.

"Humph, let them come! I'll tear them to shreds! I'll give them 5 seconds! No! Make that 3 seconds until they're begging for mercy!" Mia shouted out in energetic defiance.

"Mia… you're being annoying again" Soren said.

Mia just stuck out her tongue and turned away defiantly.

* * *

"Well, that's finally taken care of" Lyn said, glad that the battle's over.

"Lyn!"

"Florina… why did you follow me? It's too dangerous" Lyn said, worried for her friend.

"You do remember the knighting ceremony for Pegasus knights right?" Florina asked.

"Yes, you join a band of mercenaries to further your training. Is that what brought you here Florina?"

"Mhmm, I wanted to talk to you before you set out. But when I went to Sacae, I heard that you left with some strangers and then came looking for you"

"You were worried for me? Thank you but I'm more worried about you. Listen, most mercenaries are men, right? Bands of men? I can't imagine you being even remotely comfortable around them"

"I know, it's just… I've always dreamt of being a Pegasus knight. I imagined that I would… make it work somehow. But after today, I'm not so sure…" Florina said, starting to fall into despair. Until Sain showed up…

"There is no reason to give up your dream!" Sain shouted, causing Florina to hide behind Lyn's back again.

"Lovely Florina! I have a most brilliant idea!"

"Sain!" Kent tried to interrupt.

"You should come with us! With the addition of Wil here, we're a fine group of soldiers, and freelance to boot!"

"Wait, did you just include me?" Wil asked.

"Since when was I a soldier? I'm a mercenary at best!"Mia said.

'_What a drag…'_ Soren thought.

"Of course! We were destined to meet here! It's fate! Come now, Lyndis's band of mercenaries is as good a training group as you will find anywhere!"

"Sain… this is not a joking matter!" Kent chastised.

"Lyn? Um… Mercenaries?" Florina asked.

"I can give you the details later. This has all been a little rushed. However, Sain is right. Will you come with us Florina?" Lyn asked.

"Travel with you Lyn? Really? I would be so… so happy!"

"Fantastic! Beauteous Florina! I am a knight of Caelin. My name is Sain…"

Sain didn't get a chance to finish because Florina shrieked in surprise and hid behind Lyn once Sain got what she deemed too close to her.

"Stay back! Don't get so close"

"Ah… Beautiful, and yet so modest!"

"Knock it off! You're scaring her!" Mia shouted while bopping Sain on the head.

"I beg your forgiveness, calling us mercenaries…" Kent said.

"No, I'm alright with it, we can't leave Florina on her own. She needs some… special attention, though. Can I count on you?" Lyn asked."

"Yes, all you have to do is ask"

"So… is it really alright if I travel with you?" Wil asked.

"Oh, yes, of course! If you're alright with it Wil" Lyn responded.

"Actually, I'm grateful. The truth is, my money was stolen, and I'm… at a bit of a crossroads. I would be honored to count myself one of Lyndis's Legion!" Wil said.

"Lyndis's Legion?" Lyn asked. "This is getting stranger every day Soren…"

"I've seen stranger, if you've seen even half of what I've seen, then almost nothing will be able to surprise you" Soren said.

"Wait… why does it have to be called Lyndis's Legion?! Why can't we call the group Mia's Mercenaries?! I practically started all this by wiping out Taliver!"

"It was called first and Lyn is the current leader of the group" Soren replied flatly.

"Since when was she leader! I remember us saying that we'd help her meet her grandfather, but not giving her the title of leader!" Mia complained childishly.

"Let me put it like this; I'm a tactician, not a leader, you may be an experienced mercenary that's fought countless battles, but you have no leadership skills. Kent and Sain follow orders, not give them, and Florina and Wil are new. Lyn on the other hand, has been with us the longest and was the daughter of the chieftain of the Lorca tribe so she must have at least some leadership skills because of it. Besides, the whole group has already welcomed her as the leader with the exception of you" Soren lectured.

"Tch, fine, she can be leader… but that doesn't mean I have to like it!" Mia pouted.

"Mia, what have I said about acting your age…" Soren more said than asked.

"Shut Up!" Mia said and then stuck out her tongue and turned her back to him.

*Sigh*_'I wonder what you're doing right now Ike…'_ Soren thought.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Ostia Hector was about to leave for his monthly sparring session with Eliwood when his brother, Lord Uther, flanked by the Black Knight stopped him.

"What is it brother? You already know where I'm going and I'll be back in a few weeks, what do you want now?" Hector asked impatiently.

"All I want is a little insurance that you'll be alright. With all the spies in Lycia right now we can't be too careful, so that's why I'll be sending the Black Knight here with you" Uther explained.

"Really? Is that all? Alright then, let's go!" Hector said, eager to go.

Normally, Hector would complain about his brother sending a guard with him, but when it came to the Black Knight, it was different. He may not have known the Black Knight for very long or even knew much about him, other than the fact that he was ridiculously strong (He knew this personally through sparring matches), ascended through the ranks of the armor knights at a ridiculous pace, and is a man of honor that gained his brother's trust in record time. Hector was suspicious of him at first, but once he got to know him, he found out that he's a person that he just knows that he can trust. Not only that, but Hector, Lord Uther, and the spy Matthew are the few people that he trusts completely with his identity. However, Uther is the only person that knows the true reason why the Black Knight is really here.

Before the Black Knight (Ike) could follow Hector, Uther stopped him for a brief moment.

"Ike, our spies have found out that a group called the Black Fang has been behaving strangely, they originally only assassinated corrupt nobles, but now they take any target they are hired to assassinate. We've recently found out that a faction of them have been found in the area Hector will be meeting Eliwood. Matthew might also be in the area, if he is, then inform him of the mission and team up with him."

"So, the true reason you're sending me there is to spy on them, possibly with Matthew, and figure out what they're after and if they're connected to the force that Ashunera sent me to investigate and destroy"

"Correct, now get going, Hector's getting impatient" Uther ordered.

* * *

**Chapter End**

**Please Review**


	8. A Crack in Mia's Mask

**Riku: Okay, I am tired of saying the disclaimer, so could somebody else say it?**

**Mia: Me! Me! I'll do it! (Raises hand and jumps up and down like an excited 4 year old**

**Riku: K, Mia will do the disclaimer**

**Mia: Yay! Riku does not own Fire Emblem, if he did, I would actually have a background story of some sort and be a major character.**

**I would just like to point out that my fight scenes are most likely going to suck for a good portion of the entire story, just bear with me on this because hopefully, they will gradually improve overtime.**

Chapter 8

A Crack in Mia's Mask

After killing off the bandits in town and meeting some new characters, Lyn and company continue to move west. They stop for the night at a ruined fortress, but they didn't know that the Ganelon Bandits would be following them, out for revenge… Orange Flash or no Orange Flash.

"This should be good enough" Wil said as the group reached the abandoned fortress.

"This mildewy old fortress? Are you sure this is the best we can find? Come on Wil, please tell me you're joking!" Sain complained.

"The bandits have everything in chaos around here, nobody has time to worry about travelers stopping by, and there are quite a few of us" Wil said.

"You should stop complaining Sain, aren't knights supposed to be able to sleep in any condition anyway?" Soren jabbed.

"Why does everyone pick on me?!" Sain complained.

"You make it too easy" Mia said.

"Both of you, stop it, do I have to babysit the two of you?" Lyn asked.

"She/He started it" Mia and Sain accused, pointing at each other.

'_I thought that babysitting them was my job'_ Kent thought.

*Sigh* "Well, anyway, this place will do fine, who wants to be stuck inside? I prefer a place where I can feel the wind blow" Lyn said.

"As long as I'm near Lyn, I'll be a just fine" Florina shyly said, clearly still afraid of every man in the group.

"And for your protection, your man-at-arm Sain will be right by your side, ladies" Sain flirted.

"Sain, both you and I are to stay awake. We'll be alternating the watch. So you won't have time for your annoying flirting" Kent interrupted.

Sain sighed in disappointment.

* * *

The group entered the abandoned fortress and set up camp, both Mia and Soren sensed that they were not alone with their battle-hardened senses, but there was no malice, so they assumed that the person meant no harm. And they were right.

"Your pardon, milady" a voice said to Lyn.

"Who's there?" Lyn asked, while Mia looked in the general direction of the voice.  
"Um… Forgive my intrusion… My name is Natalie. I'm from a village that isn't too far from here…" Natalie suddenly winced and hissed in pain.

"Are you alright" Lyn said, immediately rushing to her side.

Mia also rushed to her side as well, "It looks like there's something wrong with her leg" Mia pointed out.

"Don't worry, it's fine. It's from a childhood sickness… I can't travel far on it, but it doesn't cause me too much trouble" Natalie explained.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" Lyn asked.

"I'm looking for my husband, I heard that he was in this area. He said that he was going to raise enough money to have my leg mended. He left and hasn't returned yet, he's very kindhearted, but I'm afraid that he might be involved in something dangerous. I got so worried…" Natalie then got a picture out from her pocket and held it out to the two women. "Here's a sketch of him, it has a poor likeness at best, but…" Natalie started to trail off again.

"His name is Dorcas. Have either of you seen him?" she asked.

Both Lyn and Mia looked at the sketch; it showed a muscular man with red hair.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I've seen or heard of him before" Lyn said.

"I haven't either, but I'll make sure to keep a lookout for him" Mia said, _'She came all the way out here just to find her husband; I'm practically in the same boat… Ike might not be…m-my husband_ (Mia blushes at the mere thought of it)_, but I came all the way out here to try and find him so that has to count for something right?'_

"I see, if you do find him, please tell him that Natalie is looking for him alright?" Natalie asked.

"I'll tell him, I promise" Lyn said.

"Oh, right, I'll make sure to tell him too" Mia said in a distracted voice.

* * *

A few hours passed and sunset was nearly upon the group when Kent saw a band of bandits surround the fortress. He immediately ran to inform the others of what was happening. After a few seconds of searching, he found Lyn talking to Natalie.

"Lady Lyndis! Bandits have gathered outside of the fortress!" Kent called out.

"Persistent bunch aren't they? What do you think? Shall we go outside and face them?" Sain asked.

"No… Natalie can't move well, and that will put her in danger" Lyn said.

"The best course of action would be for us to hold our positions and face them as they come. If possible, one of us can sneak around the enemy line and take down the leader" Soren explained.

"As sound a tactical mind as always Soren" Mia said, "I'll deal with anyone that attacks from the north."

"Good, while Mia does that, Kent and Sain will guard the main entrance while Wil and I will pick the enemy off from a distance, Lyn, you and Florina will deal with the bandits coming from the east entrance, and if the enemy numbers thin enough for either of you to deal with the leader, take it, does everyone know their roles?" everyone nodded.

"Then let's move out!" Soren instructed.

The battle was as tedious as Soren and Mia expected, Soren was positioned behind Kent and Sain, taking down enemies from afar with his Arcwind tome, he would have had Wil join him, but when he heard the enemy trying to break through the wall at the west end of the fortress, he had Wil take care of it.

Mia wasn't having much fun either due to how boring her opponents were, so she decided to mercilessly taunt her opponents to get funny responses out of them.

"Come on you axe-wielding wusses! Is that all you've got? I've seen cats more intimidating than you!" (She speaks the truth too)

That got a rise out of them all and they all charged at her with twice the amount of vigor than they had before.

"That's more like it! Bring it on!" Mia shouted out with a smirk.

After that, Mia had the time of her life taking down the foolish bandits that thought that they could handle the Orange Flash.

While all that was happening, Lyn ran into Dorcas and convinced him to join them since he had no intention of harming Natalie once he heard that she was inside the fortress.

Once the east wing of the fortress was cleaned out, Florina dealt with the sword wielding bandits that were smart enough to avoid Mia while Dorcas and Lyn moved south and confronted the leader after Dorcas lodged a hand axe in the head of an enemy archer.

Lyn was the first to confront the leader, all he really did was call out for reinforcements until Lyn confronted him, Lyn managed to cut him with her sword while the leader failed miserably at trying to hit her.

'_His form sucks, I could kill him with a single blow if I wanted to'_ Lyn thought.

Unfortunately, Dorcas beat her to it, he threw a hand axe at the leader and hit dead on, and thus the leader was dead, complaining about not having enough reinforcements with his last breath.

Not soon after, the rest of the bandits ran off, claiming that they weren't human.

The group decided to check for casualties upon everyone's return, and thankfully, there was none.

When everyone was checked to make sure that they were okay, Mia watched Dorcas and Natalie's reunion from afar, silently imagining what her reunion with Ike would be like, if she ever managed to hunt him down that is. Shortly after, Dorcas decided to join the group to claiming that he owes them and both he and Natalie have agreed to it and said that he'll be back in the morning.

* * *

Then night fell…

"Things have really calmed down haven't they?" Lyn said.

"We'll continue to take turns keeping watch anyway, who knows when those bandits will return, I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of them" Kent said.

"Alright, if you say so…but be warned, if those bandits sneak up on you, they'll cut you down without mercy. Do you understand that?" Lyn warned.

"What? Do you doubt my bravery? Am I not a knight? There's no need to worry! Right Kent?" Sain asked.

"If there's anything suspicious, we'll take care of it" Kent said.

"And if it's an attack like earlier today, just tell me and I'll make them drop like flies!" Mia yelled out in successful attempt to cover up her melancholy mood.

"Well, if everything's taken care of, good night then" Lyn said.

"Let's go Sain, we're beginning the watch now" Kent said walking off.

"Why do I get the feeling that nobody trusts me or takes me seriously?" Sain asked to nobody.

Yet, Mia heard him talking to himself and responded, "I think it's because you never gave anyone a reason to trust you with important things alone."

Sain just mumbled to himself and walked off.

Once Mia was alone, she finally let her mental mask fall and let her pent up emotions run free and silently wept, she cried for the family she lost, cried for all the lives she took, and most importantly, she cried for the possibility that she may never see the man she loves with all her heart ever again…

'_Ike… *Sniff* where are you?'_

* * *

Meanwhile, at the boarder of Ostia…

'_Ike… *Sniff* where are you?'_

"Hm?" was the noise Ike made when he suddenly looked up at the sky.

"Something wrong Ike?" Hector asked.

"No, it's nothing…" Ike said lying back down.

'_Why do I have the guilty feeling that someone's crying over me?'_

**END!**

**Now to start working on the next chapter of another one of my stories.**

**Poor Sain… nobody trusts him due to his irresponsible personality… Oh well…**

**BTW, if anyone is wondering if Soren is going to be paired with anyone, I'll give you a little hint, he'll meet her around the same time the group ALMOST has a confrontation with Ike.**

**Oh, and if you're thinking that Mia is OOC, well… she isn't because, since she has practically NO background story whatsoever, I get to make my own background story about her. So I decided that Mia's perpetual cheerfulness is just a mask to hide her inner pain of losing almost everything that she has ever cared about.**

**Please Review**


	9. A Fit of Rage

**Riku: Okay! So… who's doing the disclaimer this time?**

**Mia: Can I do it again? Please? Please? Please?**

**Riku: No, you did it last time**

**Mia: Awww…**

**Ike: I'll do it**

**Mia: IKE! (glomps Ike)**

**Ike: Riku does not own Fire Emblem, now can you let go Mia? It's hard to move with you hugging me…**

**Mia: Nope! (hugs tighter)**

**Riku: Well, I'll see you two lovebirds at the end of the chapter**

**Ike: I-it's not like that! (Blushes intensely)**

**Riku: Keep telling yourself that Ike *snicker* by the way, is that sunburn, or are you blushing Ike?**

**Ike: (Blushes even more)**

Chapter 9

A Fit of Rage

"Mia, wake up! It's time to go!" a voice called out from around the corner.

"You've never woken up before me and you never will Lyn, so isn't telling me to get up a little unnecessary?" Mia said, already packed up and ready to go.

Lyn sweat dropped anime style when she saw Mia grinning from ear to ear holding out a peace sign in front of her with her middle and index fingers. Then Lyn noticed that Mia's eyes were a little bloodshot, as if she spent last night in tears.

"Mia, are you alright? Your eyes are a little bloodshot" Lyn asked.

"Don't worry about it, I'm perfectly fine!" Mia said, brushing off Lyn's comment.

'_Something's clearly wrong with you Mia, but the problem is that you won't let anyone know what it is… Why won't you tell anyone what's wrong? Maybe we can help… you can't keep everything bottled up inside forever…'_ Lyn asked herself.

"If you say so…" Lyn said, deciding to keep her questions to herself.

"C'mon! Let's get going already Lyn!" Mia exclaimed, already halfway out the door.

Lyn followed Mia without a word, contemplating what might be bothering the infamous Orange Flash.

* * *

Now that the group has recovered from the bandit attack, they immediately rush to the Lycia/Bern boarder to avoid any more conflicts with the Ganelon bandits. Little did they know that the bandits weren't going to let them leave that easily…

* * *

The group decided to take a quick break after crossing another portion of the Taliver Mountains; they were now only a quarter day away from reaching the border town.

"We're almost at the boarder now" Kent said.

"We'll be safe from the bandits once we cross the border, right?" Lyn asked.

"We should be, I doubt that they'll be willing to follow us through the border" Wil said.

"If not, we would probably at least have backup from the territory's marquess" Soren pointed out.

"Lycia at last! It feels like it's been so long. Tomorrow, we will feast on Lycia's finest foods! And the mistress of the inn at the crossing is supposed to be a real beauty, ahhh, food and love, no better way to restore a man's soul!" Sain said in his usual 'dramatic' voice.

"Maybe YOUR soul, Sain, everyone else will probably be looking at other things" Soren said.

"Sain, if your behavior is as deplorable as ever, we'll rest elsewhere. We're not going to the border to sightsee!" Kent reprimanded.

"But that's not fair!" Sain complained.

"Stop complaining Sain! LIFE isn't fair, suck it up already!" Mia shouted, emotions still a little wonky from trying to put her mental mask back on.

Sain just lowered his head at this, wondering what put Mia in such a foul mood.

"Don't worry, the inn will do fine Kent" Lyn said.

"As you wish milady" Kent said obediently.

Sain immediately perked up at this, "Lyndis! You are truly an angel from on high!" Sain shouted out.

"You do realize that you will probably regret this Lyn" Soren whispered to Lyn.

"You're right… I probably will if Sain is going to behave the way I think he's going to…" Lyn said back.

* * *

A few minutes later, after more walking, another band of bandits saw it fit to block their path once more.

"Here they are! I've found them!" the lead bandit shouted, alerting the others.

"Tch, not again! They're still following us?" Wil complained.

The lead bandit chuckled at Wil's complaint, "Don't think you're getting away that easily!"

Another bandit decided to finish the other's statement, "If you leave alive, then everyone will think that the Ganelon Bandits have gone soft!"

"So? We don't care about you or your reputation! We have to get to Lycia! If you stay in our way, you will be cut down!" Lyn retorted.

"A cheeky little thing, aren't you? Get 'em boys!" the lead bandit called to his men.

And with that… another battle broke loose between the Lyndis Legion and the Ganelon Bandits.

* * *

Almost at the beginning of the battle, when Lyn's group started moving out, they heard a very shrill scream come from the east, near a small group of mountains.

"That scream… Soren look! Someone's over there!" Lyn said pointing east.

Lyn took Soren over to what looked like a white dressed noble with pink hair put up in pigtails. She also had a mage escort dressed in a red cloak with dark violet hair.

While Lyn and Soren met the two, Mia took off to vent her anger on some bandits, so she took off to the south where the majority of the bandit mob was.

"You bozos picked a bad day to mess with me! But at least I can use you all to vent my anger!" Mia shouted as she began to slash away at the bandits, each and every one of them hitting their mark, ending every single bandit's life instantly.

While Mia vented her anger, Lyn, Soren, and their new companions Serra and Erk, took a route close to the lake on the battlefield to reach the leader. The rest of the group took the long way around a small group of mountains to wipe out the stragglers on the other side and pick up some weapons at the local armory.

Mia was the first to reach the bandit leader, he was ugly to say the least, and the name Bug definitely suited him.

"Don't think you'll win against the Ganelon bandits that easily bitch!"

"SHUT UP! YOU CAUGHT ME IN A BAD MOOD RIGHT NOW! I HOPE YOU'RE READY TO DIE, BECAUSE YOUR DEATH IS GOING TO BE VERY PAINFUL!" Mia shouted out in a fit of rage.

Bug could actually FEEL, the killing intent Mia was radiating and it froze him in absolute fear.

"Game over" was all Mia said with a grim voice.

Mia gave a quick salute with Alondite and then charged at Bug with inhuman speed. She delivered a quick downward slash, not aimed at any vitals on purpose, a horizontal slash, also not aimed at any vitals, a spinning horizontal slash, painful, but not deadly. Then Mia delivered a jumping back flip slash that sent the bandit flying into the air, then right after Mia landed, she charged at the still falling bandit at a supposedly impossible speed, and once she reached Bug, she cleaved him in two, ending his life instantly. (That five hit combo was the Astra)

The entire group saw the whole thing, the only person that wasn't speechless of her brutal display of power was Wil, who could only say, "Remind me to NEVER, get Mia angry" to Lyn, who could only nod her head in response.

Soren was thinking other things at the time after seeing Mia blow up in the entire bandit troupe's face.

'_Mia's emotions are slowly becoming more and more unstable… we better find Ike soon before she becomes even more emotionally unstable. She's practically a ticking time bomb of emotions at this point…'_

* * *

Once everyone could speak again, and Mia had finally calmed down, they were on the road again. One thing that was somewhat unexpected was Sain convincing the travelers Serra and Erk to temporarily join the group, much to Soren and Erk's dismay, obviously causing many future headaches. Just one conversation with the hard-headed Cleric made Soren want to bash his head into a tree in frustration. After that, he immediately pitied Erk for having the unfortunate job of being her escort. Needless to say, Soren wore a disgruntled look on his face for the rest of the trip to the border town.

* * *

Meanwhile at Castle Caelin…

"That little girl crossed the border?!" Lord Lundgren shouted angrily.

"Yes, Lord Lundgren. She's currently on her way to Araphen…" the soldier spoke out meekly.

"Idiot! Send out soldiers to kill her already! Don't hold anything back! Do anything to finish this NOW!" Lord Lundgren roared.

"First the old man, and now the girl…" Lundgren trailed off.

* * *

Once the group reached the boarder, Soren chose now to speak to Mia, in hopes of defusing the ticking emotional time-bomb known as Mia at least temporarily.

"Is your head on straight again Mia?" Soren asked.

"Why wouldn't it be Soren?" Mia asked calmly.

"You lost control of your emotions during the battle today and don't try to deny it Mia, we all saw it. Something's wrong and you're not doing yourself any favors by denying it" Soren lectured.

"I TOLD you I'm fine!" Mia said in a tone of voice that clearly said, 'I'm avoiding the subject of this conversation.'

"You're display on the battlefield earlier today speaks otherwise"

"SHUT UP SOREN!!!" Mia snapped, Soren winced at the sheer volume of her voice.

Once Mia realized that she just snapped at Soren, she wore a horrified look on her face.

"M-maybe t-there is something wrong with me…" Mia trailed off.

"Well, now that you've realized how you've been behaving. Now you can start correcting your behavior, you can't keep all of your emotions bottled up forever, you need to let it all out at some point" Soren said, trying to calm Mia down.

"I-I know y-your right… but the only person I can let these emotions out on is Ike, and the problem is that he isn't here. I-I'll just have to find another way to vent my emotions safely until then…" Mia said in a depressed voice.

"For everyone's sake, it better not be the same way you did on the battlefield today, you were probably a danger to both the enemy, and your comrades. I'm sure Ike wouldn't be pleased to see you like that"

"Yeah… you're probably right about that Soren…" Mia trailed off at this point.

"You should probably go to bed now, you've had a rough day" Soren said.

"Yeah…" Mia started to head to her room at the inn but the turned around for a brief moment to say something.

"Hey, Soren"

"What?"

"… Thanks for talking some sense into me"

"Hn" Was Soren's reply, but Mia knew Soren long enough to know that that was Soren's equivalent to 'You're Welcome' and many other things.

Little did they know was that Serra watched this little exchange from a safe distance and managed to remain unnoticed.

'_Hmm… so, Mia was in such a foul mood for 'those' reasons. This is juicy, but it's also kinda sad, maybe I can find a way to help her find her man. This is practically straight from a romantic tragedy!'_

* * *

Once Mia reached her room, which she was lucky to have to herself, she did what she did the previous night. She cried herself to sleep…

'_*sniff* Ike… why did you leave me…'_ was Mia's final thought before sleep took her.

* * *

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

'_*sniff* Ike… why did you leave me…'_

'_That voice again… why am I suddenly hearing her voice in my head… and why is she always so sad… is this my fault?'_ Ike asked himself.

'_I'll worry about it in the morning, I need to get some sleep if I'm going to be able to keep moving tomorrow'_ Ike told himself, barely able to hear himself think over Hector's snoring.

'_Why is it always Mia's voice… do I really miss her that much?'_ Was Ike's last thought before he fell asleep.

* * *

**Riku: Cut. Print. That's a wrap!**

**Soren: You do realize that you just sounded like a movie director, right?**

**Riku: That's what I was trying to do, I'm proud to say that I pulled it off!**

**Ike: Could you get Mia off of me now?**

**Riku: Why should I do that, for a minute, it looked like you were enjoying holding her**

**Ike: That was before she fell asleep and started drooling all over me!**

**Riku: HA! Got you! You WERE enjoying it!**

**Ike: (Blushes profusely) W-Would you just get her off me now? Her arms are latched onto me and she won't let go!**

**Riku: Nope!**

**Ike: Why Not?**

**Riku: Because I'm pretty sure that it will be hilarious to see her wake up latched onto you. Now if you excuse me…**

**Ike: Wait! Don't leave me like this!**

**(Riku and Soren walk away)**

**Soren: Are you really going to leave him like that? Mia really is drooling all over him**

**Riku: Meh, I'm probably just going to watch this unfold from a distance and then unlatch her once Ike falls asleep**

**Soren: Your sense of humor can get a little sadistic, did you know that**

**Riku: Yep!**

**Soren: *Sigh* alright you readers, please review this or Mia's next violent outburst will be strategically placed right in front of your face**

**Riku: And you said my sense of humor was sadistic…**


	10. A Possible Lead

**Riku: I'm back and these updates are gonna be fast for a bit k? So, whose turn is it for the disclaimer?**

**Mia & Ike: ZZZZZZZ…**

**Soren: I'll get it out of the way... Riku does not own Fire Emblem (looks up to the heavens) **_**thank you!**_

**Riku: I HEARD THAT!**

Chapter 10

A Possible Lead

The group has finally landed in Lycia, and does not have to put up with those annoying bandits any longer. However, before they reach Caelin, they have to cross through a group of other Lycian territories. Each in control of a powerful marquess, some of them corrupt, the first one of these territories is Araphen. One thing that the group wasn't completely expecting was such a deadly welcome, courtesy of Lord Lundgren.

* * *

"What city are we in right now?" Lyn asks.

"This? This is Araphen, after Ostia, it's the second largest city in Lycia" Sain explained.

"Second biggest, huh? It does seem pretty busy. By the way, where did Kent go?" Lyn asked.

"He went ahead to the castle a little while ago, and it looks like he's coming back right now" Soren said, pointing to a returning Kent.

And sure enough, Kent came riding in from the direction of the castle.

"Milady Lyndis! Let us proceed to the castle. They've prepared some supplies for us. The marquess has agreed to help us on our journey to Caelin" Kent reported.

"He's going to help us?" Lyn asked.

"Yes. Araphen and Caelin have had a sturdy friendship for many years. When I informed the marquess of our problem, he agreed to help us" Kent explained.

"Looks like it's smooth sailing from here on in!" Sain exclaimed.

"By the way, does anyone know where Mia ran off to?" Lyn asked.

"I haven't seen her since this morning; she probably just took off to explore the town for a little bit. We really don't have to worry about her all that much, she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself" Soren said.

"I know that, but I'm still a little bit worried, her life might not be in danger, but her emotional state is a different story. It might look like she's putting on a strong front, but I can just barely tell that on the inside, she's nursing a broken heart…" Lyn said.

"I've known her for a lot longer than you have so I actually noticed that a while ago. I actually managed to get to talk to her about it, she's starting to come to terms with her situation, but she'll probably return to normal at least for a little while if we manage to find at least a hint of Ike's whereabouts. A little hope for her can go a long way" Soren explained.

"I hope your right…" Lyn said.

* * *

At the same time in another part of town

Mia was randomly browsing through different stands in the marketplace when she noticed that a shady character with blond hair and a red cloak was watching her.

'_That sword of hers looks familiar… its design is just as unique as Ike's Ragnell… just switch the gold with black, and the silver with orange and it would be an exact duplicate… I wonder where she got it…' _the shady character thought.

"Can I help you?" Mia asked, catching the shady character red-handed at spying.

"Oh! Heh… you caught me, well to answer your question I was just wondering where you got that sword from, I've seen one that looks almost exactly like it"

"It was a gift to me from an old friend of mine and happens to be the twin to his blade. Now tell me… where did you see that sword you just mentioned, you must be talking about my sword's twin, Ragnell. Which also means you were talking about Ike, do you know where he is right now? Or at least where you last saw him, please! TELL ME! " Mia asked/demanded, hope rising in her chest by the second, fully believing that she may have finally found a solid lead on Ike's wherabouts.

'_This person knows Ike?! And if that sword of hers really is Ragnell's twin, than that means that this must be Mia, Ike told me that if she shows up, I have to throw her off his trial because he doesn't want her to get involved. Heh, Ike's got a girlfriend! Ike's got a girlfriend! Ike's got a girlfriend!'_ the spy/thief Matthew thought.

"Sorry, but my memory about that subject is a little hazy, all I really remember is that a certain person's sword looks similar to yours, sorry for wasting your time!" Matthew rushed off after that, eager to escape the awkward situation.

"WAIT!" Mia called out, _'He's hiding something… and I'm going out what it is if it's the last thing I do, he might finally be the lead I'm looking for…'_

"This is terrible! The castle is in flames!" a civilian cried out.

"Huh?" Mia said as she looked up, and sure enough, the castle had indeed caught fire.

'_Looks like my interrogation will have to be on hold for the time being… why do I have the feeling that Lyn is caught up in the middle of this?'_ Mia thought.

Mia ran for a few seconds until she saw a man mounted on a horse shoot down a man about to attack Lyn. After a short conversation between Lyn, Kent, and the horseman now known as Rath, Mia decided to make her presence known.

"You're just a magnet for trouble, aren't you Lyn?"

"Mia! I was wondering when you'd show up!" Lyn said.

"Well, you know me; I'd never miss out on a good fight!" Mia said, scratching the back of her head.

"So then… our objective is clearly to rescue the marquess, but how are we going to do it? Just rushing in through the front door isn't going to do us any favors…" Mia said.

"There is a secret passageway that leads to the throne room that we can use, but we will have to set off a few triggers to open it. Once we do that and save the marquess, my troops will clean out the marauders" Rath explained.

"That should work, how many triggers are there?" Soren asked.

"Three" Rath said.

"No surprise there, three always seems to be the magic number…" Mia ranted.

"We've spent enough time talking, let's move out!" Rath instructed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Mia mumbled.

* * *

The battle started when Lyn hired Matthew's help to open the barrack doors and Rath setting off the first trigger. One thing that Matthew wasn't aware of was that the very person that he was trying to avoid was in the same party as him now!

Mia chose to move towards the second trigger, located on the outside of the barracks. After disposing of the guard, she took the key needed to unlock the door. Once the door was unlocked, the eliminated the last line of defense in a flash and set off the second trigger.

After the second trigger was set off, and Matthew "borrowed" a few things, Lyn found herself face-to-face with the leader of the marauders.

The marauder known as Bool didn't waste any time in attacking, Lyn narrowly dodged a lance thrust and jumped backward to avoid getting skewered. She then noticed Matthew land a deadly blow to her opponent with an armorslayer, effectively distracting Bool.

'_I guess now's a good time to finally bring out the Mani Katti…'_ Lyn thought.

Lyn took Bool out with a single draw-slash from the Mani Katti, the opponent's armor did not protect him in the least and was killed instantly.

With nobody left to guard the final trigger, Rath set it off and let his men take care of the rest while he escorted Lyn's group to the throne room.

* * *

"Ah, it's Rath! You've done well, that was quite the performance!" the marquess congratulated.

"Sir, if you have praise, you should praise this group" Rath stated.

"Oh? And who are you?" the marquess asked.

"My name is Lyndis, I'm pleased to see that you are alright marquess" Lyn said.

"Oh… it's you. So you're Marquess Caelin's…" he paused for a split second.

"Leave us, Rath. I wish to speak to the girl"

Rath left without a word.

"Now… Lady Lyndis. Do you know the identity of those responsible for this uproar?" the marquess asked.

"I believe that it is the work of my granduncle, Lundgren" Lyn stated.

"That's right, which means that my castle has been damaged in your family's petty inheritance dispute"

"My-My apologies"

"When I heard that Lady Madelyn's daughter was in trouble, I thought that I should lend a hand… but I've changed my mind. I withdraw my offer"

"Marquess Araphen! You gave me your word that you'd help us my lord!" Kent stated.

"Your name is Kent, is it not? You failed to inform me of the most important detail!" the marquess stated.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mia interrupted.

"This girl may resemble Lady Madelyn, but… I didn't expect to see her so tainted by the blood of the Sacae" the marquess put down.

"What?!?" Lyn cried out in outrage, while Mia stewed in fury over the marquess's audacity.

"Don't you feel that the marquess of Caelin would be disappointed to meet this… nomadic mongrel?"

"You--!" Sain attempted to say before he was interrupted.

"Sain! Hold! My apologies, lord marquess" Kent responded.

"Your man is poorly disciplined" the marquess pointed out.

"Marquess Araphen, please… if you would just give us your assistance…" Kent asked one final time.

"I've heard that Marquess Caelin has fallen ill and is currently bedridden. I wonder if he will even survive to meet this girl. In any case, his brother, Lundgren will claim his title, and I certainly wish to avoid trouble with the next marquess"

"You conniving…" Sain said before being interrupted again.

"Sain!" Kent interrupted again.

"I understand Kent, Sain, Mia, Soren, we will take our leave at once" Lyn said, preparing for departure.

Kent tried to protest but was interrupted by Lyn.

"I am proud of my Sacae blood, and I will NOT accept aid from someone that spits upon my heritage!"

"You tell him Lyn" Mia cheered.

'_This man is no different from your average noble… corrupt and prejudiced'_ Soren mused.

And with that, the group left the foolish marquess behind to stew over Lyn's defiance.

* * *

A few minutes later while walking through town...

"That was well done milady! That marquess was a lout! Don't worry about a thing, we're here for you!" Sain cheered.

"Sain's right for once, that marquess was nothing more than a conceited and prejudiced moron!" Mia joined in.

"You're right, we don't need his help, and the larger numbers we would have gained would just slow us down anyway. And if what he said was true about my grandfather being sick, then time is something we can't afford to lose!"

* * *

A few minutes later, at the outskirts of Araphen…

"Found you!" Mia shouted out at Matthew.

"Gah! What? Oh, it's you again… I'm sorry but I didn't quite catch your name"

"It's Mia, and I don't believe that I caught your name either"

"Oh, right, where are my manners? My name is Matthew, and I'm a master of certain… acquisitions"

"Alright, now that we've been properly introduced, spill it! What do you know about Ike? Considering how you noticed that my sword Alondite is Ike's sword Ragnell's twin means that you've been associated with him at some point" Mia demanded.

'_SHIT! She knows! C'mon Matthew, think fast!'_

"Alright, I admit that I have run into him at some point in time… but it was so far back that it wouldn't matter anyway at this point" Matthew said, hoping that she would buy it.

"You're lying, you've met him recently haven't you?"

'_What is she? A human lie detector?' Matthew thought_

"I suppose I'll drag the truth out of you eventually… and if I can't do that, then I'll just have to follow you until I eventually run into him again" Mia said.

"A-Are you sure that that's a good idea? I live a very dangerous life you know? Do you honestly think that you would be able to survive following me around?" Matthew said in a futile attempt at scaring Mia off.

"Are you kidding? This is the Orange Flash you're talking to! It'll take more than what YOU would normally have to handle in whatever profession you have to so much as scratch ME!" Mia said, puffing out her chest, calling Matthew's bluff.

'*Sigh*_ what a drag…'_ Matthew thought, thoroughly disappointed.

* * *

When Mia rejoined the group, she noticed that Rath became a new addition to the group and decided to get acquainted with him later and chose to lean against a tree and look at the sunset until the group decided to start moving again.

A few minutes later, Soren decided to join her, choosing to stay near the person he knows best in the group. When he got a closer look at her, he noticed something different about her. He noticed that she was a lot more calm and confident, and he decided to ask how it happened.

"You seem to be in better spirits, may I ask how it happened?" Soren asked.

Mia smiled a true smile and said, "I've finally got a solid lead on how to find Ike"

Soren was astonished by this, "Really?! What is it?"

"It's not exactly in words, but I know that that thief Matthew is associated with Ike in some way and the best way to find Ike at this moment is to keep an eye on Matthew and follow him" Mia explained.

"So that's what he was hiding… I knew that he was hiding something… I just couldn't quite figure out what it was. Great job Mia, we're now one step closer to finding Ike" Soren congratulated.

* * *

Later, at night near the border of Khathelet

Mia was about to go to sleep after doing her normal evening rituals (sword practice, cleaning up, etc.), and for the first time over the past few weeks, she fell asleep with a confident smirk on her face. Only one thought was going through her mind at this time…

'_It doesn't matter how long it takes or how far I have to go… I WILL find you Ike. Even if I have to chase you to the ends of the Earth until the end of time! I will chase after you until we are finally reunited Ike!'_

* * *

On the other side of Khathelet…

Ike somehow heard Mia's thoughts again tonight, but this time, her thoughts were confident and unwavering.

'_It's her voice again, but this time, she sounds like her old self… confident and unwavering… if she really is nearby it's gonna be difficult keeping her out of this. I don't want her to get involved with my mission. If she got hurt trying to help me then I'll never be able to forgive myself!'_

Ike's thoughts were once again, interrupted by Hector's snoring.

'_I'm worrying too much, I need to get some shut eye, I'll probably run into this "Black Fang" group tomorrow, I don't know what to expect so I better be well prepared and well rested'_ Ike thought.

* * *

Meanwhile, IN Khathelet…

A boy that looked like a bard and a girl that looked like a dancer were running from a group of black cloaked men, desperately trying to lose them. The boy had very light aqua colored hair, and the girl had snow-white hair, once the two reached a small village, they managed to lose the group for the time being and chose to stay the night at the local inn. The innkeeper was very kind to them and let them stay the night.

"We should be safe here for the night" the boy said.

"Yes, we should, but we should probably head north in the morning" the girl said.

"Why north?" the boy asked.

"I don't know why, but someone that has a presence that is both similar and different to us is there and is making its way towards us is there…"

"If you say so…"

* * *

**Riku: And that takes care of that! Next chapter is going to be packed with as much action and suspense as possible, and I'm pretty sure that anyone that has played FE7 knows who the boy and the girl is already.**

**Soren: They're Ni-**

**Riku: SHUSH! You'll ruin the surprise for those who don't already know!**

**Soren: I'm pretty sure that they already do…**

**Riku: Well, I'm not taking any chances**

**Ike & Mia: ZZZZZZZZZZ…**

**Riku: They're still asleep… and their faces are only an inch away from each other… that's gonna be a hilarious moment when they wake up!**

**Soren: Okay, while Riku is daydreaming, I'll just say it, please review before we decide to tie you to a wooden pole and let Rath use you for target practice.**


	11. Paths Cross

**Riku: Who's turn is it to do the disclaimer?**

**Mia spontaneously wakes up and jumps off of a still asleep but now awake Ike**

**Mia: ME! ME! I'll do it!**

**Riku: (Rolls eyes) Go for it**

**Mia: Yay! Riku does not own Fire Emblem and DEFINITELY does not own me!**

**Ike: What happened? I feel like I've been asleep for an entire chapter, and why is my shirt wet?**

**Soren: That's drool… Mia's drool. Don't you remember her falling asleep on you?**

**Ike: Oh…**

**Riku: This is going to be the greatest and quite possibly longest chapter I have ever written. So brace yourselves and get some popcorn! This chapter is gonna be AWESOME! By the way, Soren! This chapter is your time to shine!**

**Soren: You're going to make me the star of this chapter?**

**Riku: Yep!**

Chapter 11

Paths Cross

A boy and a girl were running from the same darkly cloaked group that they were running from yesterday. However, they weren't so lucky this time, the girl sprained her ankle and still forced the boy to keep running, hoping that he will find help.

"Heh, we got one of them, now we can use her as bait to snare the other one" one of them said.

'_Nils, please find help soon… that presence similar to both Nils and me is getting closer, I hope Nils finds that person, I think he or she will be able to help…'_ the girl thought.

* * *

Meanwhile in one part of Khathelet, Soren suddenly stiffened, as if he sensed something odd.

"Everything alright Soren?" Mia asked.

"It's nothing, let's keep moving" Soren responded.

'_I sense something… two presences similar to my own, and both of them seem to be distressed in one way or the other…'_

* * *

Nils was frantically looking for help in any place he could find, but he was at every place he visited due to who was chasing him. He even tried at the inn he and the girl he considers a sister, Ninian, stayed last night. He was denied there as well, and did not notice that a blond haired monk noticed his plight and silently decided to lend a helping hand.

* * *

Lyn and her group arrived at the center of the Kathelet section of the Khathelet territory. They expected to just simply waltz right through there, until they noticed an aqua haired boy running straight for them.

'_This boy… he's one of the two presences that I sensed'_ Soren thought.

Then the boy spoke, "Excuse me, but…"

"Can I help you?" Lyn asked.

"You and your friends, you're mercenaries right?" the boy asked.

"And if we are?" Lyn answered with another question.

Then the boy burst out, "I need your help!"

Kent spoke to Lyn for a brief moment and she acknowledged what he said and told him that she won't let her guard down.

"Forgive me, but we're in a bit of a rush, is there anyone else you can ask?" Lyn asked, wanting to be by her grandfather's side as soon as possible.

"There isn't any time! Ninian's been… it's my sister! Some men in dark cloaks have kidnapped her!" Nils pleaded.

Sain spoke up at this point, "Your sister? You said your sister's been accosted right?"

"Sain…" Kent was as exasperated as usual by Sain's behavior.

"That's right! She was taken by some horrible men. I don't know what I'd do without Ninian" Nils finished.

"Milady Lyndis! We must help him!" Sain proclaimed.

"Nonsense! We don't have the time! If the marquess is as ill as we've heard, we have to move now!" Kent said.

"I personally say that we should help, in fact, I plan on helping him and his sister regardless of your decision!" Mia said.

"I also think that we should help, I also plan on helping him regardless of group decisions" Soren said.

"Soren! Since when did YOU, agree with whatever I say?" Mia gasped.

"You just simply happened to think the same thing as me at the same time"

"I still think that something's up with you… are you running a fever or something?" Mia asked, about to place her hand on his forehead.

"Knock it off Mia! I have my reasons!" Soren irately said while slapping her hand away.

"If you say so…" Mia said, deciding to stop badgering him.

"What is your decision Milady Lyndis?" Kent asked.

"I… I want to help this child. I might be worried about my grandfather, but I cannot stand by and let a child be taken from her home!" Lyn responded resolutely.

"I see… I will respect your decision and follow it milady" Kent said.

"Thank you Kent"

"Ah, well. You're in luck, kid! Let's go get your sister!" Sain said.

"Can you lead us to the men who did this?" Lyn asked Nils.

"Uh huh. They're really tough, so be careful"

"Leave them to us, we're pretty tough ourselves. Right, Mia?" Lyn asked.

"Right! I personally think that I could take them all on by myself!" Mia hyperactively proclaimed.

* * *

Shortly after Mia's little speech, a small group of men in dark cloaks approached the group.

"Ah! Oh, no…" Nils said scared.

One man in a cloak approached him, "Heh heh heh… Found him! C'mon, it's back to Nergal with you. Now be quiet"

"No! Let Ninian go!" Nils demanded.

"We aren't supposed to kill you, but we CAN rough you up a bit! Get 'em boys!"

But before he could get near him, a blast of wind knocked him off of his feet.

"Huh?" the cloaked man said, "Who do you think you are?"

"Let the boy's sister go, and maybe I'll let you live" Soren replied coolly.

"Humph, so you and your group want to help this kid, huh? What a shame, you're gonna die for something that doesn't even concern you"

"You think so, huh? If you think it'll be that easy, then you're in for a surprise" Soren said.

"Stupid boy, you'll regret those words… Take 'em down!" the man shouted to his comrades.

And then, another battle begins for Lyndis's Legion, this time, against the ruthless Black Fang.

* * *

In a small house south of the group…

"Gah! What's taking Eliwood so long to get here?!" Hector complained loudly.

"Give him time and be a little more patient, Hector! He is supposed to show up sometime today, right?" Ike more stated than asked.

"I know… but I just can't wait to get our sparring session started!" Hector griped.

'_Today's going to be a long day…'_ Ike thought, and how right he was…

* * *

Right when the group started to move out, a monk came from the same direction Nils came from and offered his assistance. His name is Lucius, and he volunteered to help by talking to Lyn and explained that he wished to help Nils when he saw him asking for help at the inn.

Soren, however, chose not to pay it any mind because he informed that the planed on sneaking past the dark mages that were guarding the fortress. Claiming that due to his high magic resistance, it would be an easy task for him.

Nils caught this and then realized what Ninian was talking about earlier, _'He must be the guy Ninian sensed earlier… his presence really is similar to ours. Does he have dragon heritage or something? It probably isn't a good time to ask though…'_

The group took the eastern route, moving around the small group of mountains, while Soren chose to sneak through the mountains so he could sneak through the back entrance of the fortress. One thing that he didn't know though, was that a red-headed noble from Pherae was already there.

Halfway through the battle, Matthew made it to the house where Ike and Hector were waiting without Mia following him. Matthew managed to lose Mia while she was taking on a group of mages on a bridge. When Matthew entered the house, the first thing he noticed was Ike in his Black Knight armor, the next was his lord himself, Hector.

"Huh? Milord! What are you doing here?" Matthew asked.

"Ah, Matthew. Eliwood and I are here for our monthly sparring match" Hector answered.

"Still doing that eh? That's a solid friendship you two have, that you two practice so faithfully"

"If you don't sharpen your blade, then you lose your edge. So tell me, what are you doing here?" Hector asked.

"Lord Uther was curious about Caelin's succession dispute here" Matthew replied.

"Oh, that long-lost granddaughter thing, right? So, which way does my brother lean?"

"He will most likely back the granddaughter's claim. Lord Lundgren is far too ambitious, if we left him alone, we might find him at Ostia's doorstep eventually"

"That's sound advice" Hector said.

"Well, my return to Ostia is going to be delayed for a bit. Would you mind letting Lord Uther know?"

"He's already expecting it" Ike said.

"And why is that?" Matthew asked.

"Because Lord Uther told me to inform you that your job has been modified a little"

"How so?" Matthew asked.

"The mission I was given is to investigate the group known as the Black Fang that just so happened to be active in this region. If you have the spare time, you are to assist me in this" Ike explained.

"I suppose I can do that… by the way Ike, that girl, Mia, that you told me about. The one you won't admit that you're in love with, is here in Kathelet right this very minute!"

"WHAT?!" _'This is bad! I can't let her get involved in all this… this is a shady and unknown enemy that we're facing and I'm not sure that I'll even be able to come back alive from this one! I don't want her getting hurt trying to help me!'_

"She is, and I barely managed to dodge her to even have this conversation without her barging in and interrogating you!"

"What did you say to her that made her manage to connect you to me?"

"I barely said anything, I tried lying to her, but she's practically a human lie detector!"

"*sigh* what's done is done, when the coast is clear and we're sure that we won't get caught. We'll follow the Black Fang when they retreat back to their hideout" Ike explained.

"You don't plan on doing that with all that armor on, right?"

"I plan on removing it before we move out, you should return to your group before they get suspicious" Ike said.

"Good idea, I'll be back soon!" Matthew said before rushing out the door.

"And what part do I play in this?" Hector asked.

"Your part is to do what you were planning to do from the beginning" Ike said.

"So the fact that my sparring match, and your mission just so happens to be in the same location is just a weird coincidence?" Hector asked.

"Pretty much"

* * *

With Soren

Soren was rushing through the halls, looking for the person that he sensed. Why he was getting worked up over a person he never even met yet, he didn't know, and surprisingly… he didn't care either. All he knew was that he had to save her from the clutches of the Black Fang.

'_She's close, and it looks like I'm not alone in here either. There are a few guards, and it looks like there's someone here helping me out'_

Soren took a right and found another door that looked like the entrance to a storage room. Soren opened the door and found a few guards between him and the girl known as Ninian. Soren dispatched of them quickly and then noticed that she was unconscious and looked like her ankle was sprained. When he looked at her face, he thought something he thought he would never think, _'She's… beautiful… DAMMIT SOREN! What the hell are you thinking?! This isn't the time to be thinking such things! What is possessing you to think this stuff anyway?'_

Soren was about to pick her up and carry her out of here when he noticed that someone was standing behind him with a sword drawn. But he knew that he was only here to help Ninian, so he decided to let him know that they were both on the same side.

"If you're here to help the girl, then put your sword down and help me get her out of here and out of harm's way" Soren stated.

"So, I assume that you're not with those black cloaked men?"

"I'm not; I actually took down a fair amount of them" Soren said.

Soren was now carrying Ninian piggyback style, to make fighting and getting her out easier.

"Well then, shall we get out of here?" the red head said.

"Let's"

While they were running, the boy decided to speak up, "By the way, what's your name?"

"Isn't it customary and polite to give your name before asking someone of theirs?" Soren asked.

"Oh, you're right, where are my manners? I'm Eliwood, the son of Marquess Pherae"

"Soren" Soren bluntly said.

"You're not much of a talker are you?" Eliwood teased.

"Hn" Soren grunted.

* * *

The two then heard a group of voices that sounded worried, Eliwood then spoke up, "Are you looking for this girl here?" Eliwood said, pointing to Ninian on Soren's back.

Nils just ran up to her immediately, crying out her name.

"She'll be alright, she's just unconscious" Soren said.

"Who are you?" Lyn asked.

"I'm Eliwood, of Pherae. My father is the marquess" Eliwood answered.

"The marquess's son…"

"She was with a band of ruffians and seemed upset, but when I arrived to rescue her, Soren her somehow beat me to her. Was I wrong to save her?"

"Hn" Soren grunted.

"No, you did the right thing, my name is Lyn. I'm from Sacae, I'm Marquess Caelin's granddaughter" Lyn said.

"Marquess Caelin?" Eliwood asked.

Lyn explained her story to Eliwood, Mia also added her two cents in every now and then.

"And that's my story. It's not an easy tale to believe, but…"

"No, I believe you" Eliwood said.

"What?" Lyn asked.

"At first glance, all I saw was a daughter of the plains folk. Now I can see it though, you have your grandfather's eyes"

"Do you know my grandfather?"

"The marquess, Lord Hausen, is a good friend of my father. I also know that the proud people of Sacae don't tell lies. That is true, right?" Eliwood asked.

"Yes… Thank you. I wouldn't have expected a Lycian noble to be so courteous to a Sacaean nomad" Lyn said.

"You looked like you were in trouble; can I help in any way?" Eliwood asked.

"Thanks for the offer, but this is my problem, though, and I'll deal with it"

"I see, I'll be in the area for a few more days. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Lyndis, I'm on your side" Eliwood informed.

"Thank you, Eliwood" Lyn thanked.

* * *

Nils was with Ninian after the conversation, trying to wake her up.

"Ninian! Are you awake?" Nils asked.

Ninian stirred and slowly regained consciousness, "Nils? Is it really you? Oh, you're safe!"

"Uh-huh, these people helped me" Nils said, pointing to Lyn, Soren, and the rest of the group.

"Who are they?" Ninian asked.

Lyn introduced herself, "I'm Lyn, I'm glad you're feeling better, but the one that you should really be thanking for your safety is Soren here. He's the one that saved you" Lyn said, pointing to Soren.

'_He's the one that I sensed earlier… he has the red eyes of someone that has dragon heritage…' _"Lyn, Soren… thank you. My name is Ninian, my brother, Nils and I are traveling performers" Ninian said.

"Both of you? Your brother's a musician, what about you, Ninian?" Lyn asked.

"I… I dance" Ninian explained.

Sain also saw it fit to interrupt at this moment, "What? Oh my… you're a dancer!" Sain swooned.

"Not now Sain!" Soren barked, slightly irritated.

"Um, yeah. Of course"

"A dancer? Your clothes don't look like those of a dancer" Lyn said.

"Ninian dances to honor life, it's special… Sacred" Nils explained.

'_Interesting… her dances must have some sort of power behind them… that might be the power I'm sensing right now…'_ Soren thought.

"A sacred dance? What does that mean?" Lyn asked.

"I… the dance I perform when we travel is just a normal dance. My other dance, though… when they caught me, I twisted my ankle. I can't dance to help you… I'm sorry" Ninian said.

"Don't worry about it, we're just happy to see that you're out of harm's way" Lyn said.

"Thank you"

"But I am concerned about your leg; you can't travel on it…" Lyn said.

"I've got an idea. Would it be too much to ask that we travel with you?" Nils asked.

"I can't allow that! It's far too dangerous. We're being hunted, we'll never know when we're going to be attacked again" Lyn protested.

"In case you haven't noticed, Lyn, they're being hunted too. By people far more dangerous than you granduncle, leaving them alone to fend for themselves is even more dangerous for them than letting them come with us. I don't think that they'll be a burden either" Soren explained.

"He's right, we can help, with our… special abilities…" Ninian said.

"Special abilities?" Lyn asked, while Soren was silently intrigued.

"When something poses a threat to us, we can sense its approach" Ninian explained.

"Really? That's amazing!" Mia said.

"We can just feel it coming, but we can't do anything to stop it. You're warriors, though, so you don't have that worry" Nils said.

"What do you guys think?" Lyn asked.

"I think leaving them here would cause you to worry more than having them with us" Kent said.

"Sain?" Lyn said, asking his opinion now, but then finished, realizing what his opinion already was, "Oh, never mind. I already know what your answer is"

"What about you, Soren" Lyn asked.

"They should come with us, their foresight ability is probably only one of many ways that they can help us" Soren said, _'Plus, I'll also have the chance to figure out why I can sense their presence and why their presence is similar to mine…' _Soren mused.

"Mia, what about you?" Lyn asked.

"I say let them come with us… if they really are being hunted too. I'll personally guard them if I have to!" Mia said.

"Okay then, what do you say? Are you going to go with us?" Lyn asked Ninian and Nils.

"Of course!" Nils answered.

"You have our gratitude, Lyn" Ninian said.

* * *

Matthew was just about to take off back to Hector and Ike, when he heard Ninian say something interesting.

"Oh…"

"What's wrong Ninian?" Nils asked.

"I've lost my ring" She responded.

"Your ring?" Lyn asked.

"Not Ninis's Grace?" Nils asked.

"The very one" Ninian said.

"They stole it? Those curs!!!" Nils said angrily.

"Was it valuable?" Lyn asked.

"It was a keepsake from our departed mother" Ninian explained.

"It was blessed by the spirit of Ninis, there's no other like it in the world. And now we've lost it to those villains. There's nothing we can do" Nils explained.

"You're right" Ninian said.

Matthew saw this as a golden opportunity to help Ike with his mission and still continue his original one of spying on the inheritance dispute, so he jumped in and offered his services.

"This looks like a job for an expert thief if you ask me" Matthew said.

"What do you mean Matthew? What are you implying?" Lyn asked.

"I'm saying that I can help, I already know that they're headed southwest. There's a building in that direction that they are probably using. I can rob them blind, and get her ring back if you want" Matthew offered.

"You're joking right? This is too dangerous for you to do on your own, no matter how good you are at hiding, you should at least take someone with you" Lyn said.

"Relax, I know some people in the area that would be willing to help me out. I'll have the ring back to you in no time!"

"If you say so… alright, the job is yours. Just remember to return the ring when you get it" Lyn said.

"No problem!" _'Bull's-eye!'_

* * *

Ike was now out of his Black Knight's armor and wearing his usual mercenary's attire when Matthew walked back in. (His mercenary outfit is what he was wearing in FE10 before he reached Vanguard class)

"Well, are we ready to go Ike? The Black Fang is currently headed southwest" Matthew said.

"I'm ready, let's get going before we're seen"

"Right!"

And with that, the duo took off into the night.

* * *

Mia noticed that Matthew was gone and decided to ask around to see if anyone knew where he went. When she asked Lyn and she told her that Matthew decided to retrieve Ninian's missing ring and that he was enlisting help from someone he knows.

Mia immediately deduced that that person was Ike and immediately took off looking for them.

Matthew and Ike didn't get the chance to go very far when they noticed that someone was taking off in their general direction. They both looked back and saw an orange jacket with a mop of violet hair with a white headband headed straight for them.

"I thought you said you weren't followed Matthew!" Ike complained and groaned.

"I wasn't! Apparently, we didn't leave quick enough! I did tell you that she was on my tail!" Matthew said.

"We have to lose her now! I don't want her to get involved with my mission… it's too dangerous. This mission will eventually make me fight an incredibly dangerous foe. One that is far more dangerous than anything I've ever faced before… I just don't want her to get hurt…"

"You might not have a choice in the matter…" Matthew said, noticing that they've been spotted.

"THERE YOU ARE!" they heard Mia shout out. "You're not getting away that easily Ike!" Mia shouted out, taking off after them.

Mia took off after them, desperate to reach Ike as soon as possible. She might not have a close up view of him, but she could tell that he hasn't changed at all on the outside, and most likely on the inside too. He probably still places the weight of the entire world on his shoulders and refuses to accept any help.

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY THAT EASILY IKE!" Mia shouted out as she closed in as fast as possible.

Ike got a good look at Mia before he told Matthew to initiate the backup escape plan. He noticed that she hasn't changed at all on the outside. She was as beautiful as he remembered her, and he was pretty sure that she was still pretty deadly too. For some reason, she had a desperate look in her eyes, as if she would at least temporarily fall into despair if she didn't reach him in time. Ike did whatever he could to forget that look in her eyes and gave Matthew the order.

"Matthew, we need to escape, now… I don't want Mia involved in all this…" _'Please… try to forgive me Mia…;_ Ike said with a sad look in his eyes.

"Alright… but you do know that you'll have to face her eventually…" Matthew said, not enjoying what he had to do.

Mia was just a few yards away when Matthew threw a smoke bomb at their feet and they used the cover to disappear.

When the smoke cleared, both Ike and Matthew were gone. Mia looked around the surrounding area, desperate to find so much a clue to where they ran off to.

There were none…

Slowly falling into despair, Mia did the only thing she could to at the moment. She fell onto her knees in shock, and started to tear up, and eventually, openly wept. She then started to release her frustration and sadness by punching the ground and shouting.

"DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! I WAS SO… SO CLOSE! HE WAS RIGHT THERE! I COULD ALMOST TOUCH HIM! And…" Mia's voice got more quiet and ragged, "and… and he slipped right through my fingers… I- I almost- almost had him and... and he slipped right … right through my fingers…"

Mia couldn't speak any more at this point; the mental stress of her situation was too much at the moment, and caused her to fall into a state of shock.

* * *

Lyn and Soren found her lying down on the ground, barely awake with tears streaming down her face. It was a really pitiful sight. They both immediately knew that she must have seen Ike, only for him to run off. They both picked her up and slung her arms over their shoulders and carried her back to camp.

Mia didn't notice any of this because she was lost in her own world at the time.

When Mia saw Ike's lips moving back when she saw him, she couldn't make out what he was saying to Matthew. But she did manage to hear the last few words he said before he disappeared.

'_I don't want Mia involved in all this…'_

What did that mean? Was he trying to protect her? And if so, from what? What could be so powerful, or have the potential to become that powerful that it would have Ike fear for her safety?

A thousand thoughts were running through Mia's head, every single one of them revolving around her blue-haired hero.

* * *

From a spot safely hidden from Mia, both Ike and Matthew saw Mia's heart wrenching display of anguish. Matthew told him that he would probably regret it, but Ike didn't care, he believed that he deserved to see the consequences of his actions and at least suffer emotionally from it. After seeing Lyn and Soren carry Mia off, he felt like a monster. He knew that at this point, he no longer even came close to deserving Mia's love or to even ask for her forgiveness. But so long as she was safe from the force he would have to confront eventually, he would gladly sacrifice his own happiness so that she would not have to face that thing. With a guilty conscience, Ike turned around and left in the direction of the Black Fang.

"Let's go Matthew…"

"Right!" 'He must feel horrible right now… and have a guilty conscience right now_'_ Matthew thought.

**End of Chapter**

**Mia: *Sobbing* Why did you have Ike do that?!**

**Riku: A story like this requires drama, and I just delivered a drama sandwich!**

**Mia: That… That still wasn't very nice!**

**Ike: I agree, I don't care if this was your longest chapter yet, you could have saved Mia the heartache by just simply having Matthew and I slip away unnoticed...**

**Riku: I thought about that, but then decided against it**

**Mia: (Tears in her eyes) JERK!**

**Soren: While these three are arguing, please review**


	12. Ike's Internal Struggle

**Riku: Due to the fact that I would like to avoid being killed by Future Cam, this chapter will be hastily written.**

**Mia: When will Ike and I finally get together?**

**Ike: The wait is starting to get annoying…**

**Riku: My current plan would say during Eliwood's story when the group saves Marquess Caelin from Marquess Laus… but I may change my mind…**

**Mia: Please! Change your mind NOW!!! (Starts fake crying)**

**Riku: Tears don't work on me**

**Ike: Then change your mind, or I'll use my Aether attack on you constantly until you change your mind**

**Riku: (Starts sweating) I'll see what I can do! (Runs off to type story and think of something) *Off in the distance* I HAVE JUST BEEN HIT ON THE HEAD BY THE INSPIRATION ROCK! ALL GLORY TO THE INSPIRATION ROCK!!!**

**Soren: Riku does not own Fire Emblem, in fact… Riku isn't even his real name**

**Mia: Really?! What is his real name then?**

**Soren: Can't tell, he made me swear an oath of silence**

**Mia: Dammit!**

**(A/N: another tear jerking Mia moment is coming your way shortly; and Ike's mental battle with himself and final decision should hopefully remove any hatred directed towards Ike right now)**

Chapter 12

Ike's Internal Struggle

Ike and Matthew reached the outside of the Black Fang stronghold and were now hiding in the bushes when Ike just suddenly spaced out.

_*Flashback*_

_Ike and Mia were having another one of their typical duels at dawn. As usual, Ike was winning by a significant margin, but no matter how many times he broke her guard and disarmed her, he was simply unable to land a hit on her. Every time he swung at her when her guard was broken or when she was disarmed, she found some way to dodge and regain her composure or grab her practice sword. Mia was clearly enjoying this sparring session more than any other in the past because she was grinning ear to ear for the entirety of the match._

_An hour passed and the sun was finally coming up, Mia ended up making a mistake at that point mostly because she was facing the rising sun and got a glare in her eyes. That's when Ike landed a decisive blow on her, hitting her on the back of her neck, knocking her out cold._

_Ike then picked her up bridal style and laid her down against a nearby tree facing the sunrise. Ike wished that she was conscious at this time, one thing that they made somewhat of an unofficial tradition between the two of them was that whenever they sparred at dawn, they would watch the sunrise together when they were done._

_However, this wasn't a happy moment for Ike. The reason was because today was the day that he had to leave and hunt down that evil force that would one day threaten Telliusif it wasn't stopped. Ike didn't want any of his friends hurt in a strange and different land, so he resolved to go alone and hopefully, return to his friends alive._

_Ike was planning on telling Mia about his departure after she woke up, but for some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. For some reason, he believed that if he told her, she might force him to take her with him, which is something he couldn't allow because he didn't want her to risk her life doing something HE was asked to do._

_Ike looked at Mia for what he believed to probably the last time and noticed that she looked beautiful with the light of the sunrise reflecting off of her face. He walked up to her and kissed her forehead for reasons that were most likely on instinct and said, "I'm sorry Mia… but this is something I have to do alone… Please… try to understand…" Ike shed a tear single tear that landed on Mia's cheek, just below her left eye and departed._

_*End Flashback*_

"Ike… Ike… Hey Ike! Snap out of it!"

Ike snapped out of his reverie when he noticed Matthew snapping his fingers in front of his face.

"Huh? What?" Ike drowsily muttered.

"About time you snapped out of it, you've been out of it for an entire 5 minutes. What were you thinking about, Ike?" Matthew asked.

"Hm? Just the past…"

"Memories of Mia no doubt" Matthew said with a knowing grin.

"Hn…" Ike grunted, he didn't deny it because he knew it was the truth, and was a horrible liar.

"Ike…" Matthew said in a more serious and stern voice. "Are you sure you did the right thing… Leaving her behind that is. Do you think things would have actually been for the best if took her with you instead?" Matthew asked.

"I'm… I'm not so sure anymore… I've been convincing myself for the past 2 years that leaving her behind was for the best, and that she'd be happier back home, instead of with me… hunting down something that could very well be a threat to the entire world if it isn't stopped before it grows out of control…"

"Maybe it's time you asked your heart to guide your actions instead of your mind. I've been doing that my whole life and I've never regretted a single thing I've done" Matthew advised.

"…" Ike mulled over what Matthew said. Truthfully, up until his decision to go after this dark force Ashunera sensed on his own. All of his decisions were made from listening to his heart, _'Maybe things have been going so wrong because I over thought my situation, maybe Matthew's right…"_

"Well, time's up! It's now officially midnight! Time to infiltrate! Let's get this over with Ike, you can return to your thoughts later" Matthew piped up.

"Alright then… let's get this over with" Ike said with little enthusiasm.

* * *

Meanwhile, back with Mia and the rest of the gang…

"Is she getting any better?" Lyn asks.

"No change at all, I'm afraid… physically, she's fine… it's her emotional state that I'm worried about" Soren said.

"What could have put her in such a state?" Ninian asked, saddened by Mia's self-inflicted emotional coma.

"Oh, right, we never did get around to telling you why Mia and I are even with this group. You see Ninian, the reason why Mia and I came here, is because we're both looking for someone. That person's name is Ike, to me; he's the first friend I ever had. However, he's a lot more to Mia; to her… he's the man she loves"

Ninian gasped at this.

"One day, he just left the mercenary fort our old mercenary band lived at without saying a word. We could only assume that he was asked to do something important, and most likely dangerous. One would think that if someone was given a task like that, they'd get as many of their friends as possible to help, but Ike's different. He probably believes that he shouldn't put his friends' lives at risk by having them do something that he was asked to do. He may be a noble person at times… but he can be such a bone head at times, he never even asked how we felt about it. If he asked us, we would have obviously forced him to take us with him, and he knew that. That's probably why he left on his own" Soren explained.

"What do you think he was asked to do?" Ninian asked.

"I don't know… but using the process of elimination, it couldn't have simply been to eliminate a group of bandits or help a nation fight a war, everyone in the mercenary troupe already did that on more than one occasion and escaped unscathed. So all that remains is that he must have been sent to fight off something that actually has enough power to plunge the entire world, or at least a continent or two, into chaos before it gains enough power to do just that" Soren deduced.

"I think you're probably right there…" Ninian said.

"You know something about what Ike is probably hunting down, don't you?" Soren asked, noticing the look in Ninian's eyes.

"Probably…"

"I won't force you to say anything Ninian, since it looks like it would probably force you to relive a painful memory… but if you need anyone to talk to, just ask" Soren offered.

"Thank you, Soren" Ninian said.

"No problem", _'Why do I feel so at ease around her… it's as if she has some sort of unexplainable hold over me that's forcing me to feel like this! Gah! This is so confusing!'_Soren thought.

* * *

Ike and Matthew snuck into the Black Fang's stronghold with little effort with Matthew silently killing any Black Fang members that they come across, and then hiding the bodies were they won't be found until later.

Ike and Matthew continued to do this for the next hour until they came across what looked like what would be considered the main hall of the fortress. They looked like they were in the clear to continue on, when the man who seemed to be in charge of the fortress showed up, as if he was waiting for them.

"So you two are responsible for the mysterious disappearances of my men. Why are you hear?" the Black Fang member asked.

"We're here to take back the ring your group stole from the children you were chasing earlier" Matthew said.

"I'm not handing this over! This is all I have to lure those two back here! I cannot fail my mission!"

"Then you're just going to have to call this a failed mission, because I will not tolerate either thievery nor kidnapping under my watch! Prepare yourself!" Ike said with as much conviction as he could muster, given his current mental state.

The Black Fang member looked at him for a second before realizing who he is, "You! You're the one that Lord Nergal placed the 'flee on sight' order on, and even the Four Fangs are told to proceed with caution when facing you in combat!"

"Hm… it looks like I've become infamous among the Black Fang" Ike replied.

"How did you become that well known among a group like this Ike?" Matthew asked.

"It first started when I found out that a group known as the Black Fang was assassinating high ranking nobles in the Kingdom of Bern. When I was told that they only killed those who were corrupt, I paid them no mind, but a few months after that, I found out that the Black Fang was now taking on any target, regardless of moral standards. That's when I decided to fight back, whenever I heard of a person that had the 'Fang's Judgment' called on them, I checked their background. If they deserved what was coming to them, I left them to their fate, but if they were innocent of any major wrongdoing; I offered my protection to them, and they always accepted. The reason I became so infamous amongst the Black Fang, was because every single person I guarded, survived the assassination attempt" Ike explained.

"And that's why he has to die NOW!" the Black Fang member said.

What he said was clearly a signal, because a mage and dark mage appeared out of nowhere and fired spells at Ike and Matthew. Both dodged the spells cast and fought back with all their speed, Ike dispatched the mage casting fire on him quickly with a magical blast from Ragnell. Matthew also had an easy time with the dark mage, due to his speed; he dodged the mage's magic with ease and slit the mage's throat with his sword.

"Dammit!" the last remaining Black Fang member shouted while he attempted to flee. However, Ike beat him to the door and floored the Black Fang goon with a single right hook.

Ike kicked the Black Fang member's sword away from him and grabbed him by his throat and brought him to eye level and asked, "Who is this, 'Nergal' you spoke of, and how is he associated with the Black Fang?" Ike asked in a menacing voice.

"I'll never tell you, I have failed… and failure… means death" the Black Fang member swallowed a small vial of poison before Ike realized what he was doing. Ike then laid the Black Fang member on the floor and turned to Matthew, who was now right beside him.

"He killed himself" Ike stated bluntly.

"Maybe so… but at least we have the ring back, and have a name to go with the person you have to hunt down" Matthew said, trying to be optimistic while holding the ring he recovered from the Black Fang member.

"Yeah, at least we didn't leave this venture empty handed, but there is one thing I'm wondering…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there! You have enough on your mind as it is, let me handle this. You're probably wondering what this, 'Nergal' wants with those kids, Ninian and Nils, am I right?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah…" Ike replied.

"They did say that they had, 'Special Abilities.' Maybe this 'Nergal' knows this and wants to add those powers to his own, thus making him more powerful" Matthew hypothesized.

"Maybe… but let's not make any drastic assumptions until we know for sure" Ike said.

"True, but there is one thing that I'm sure we agree on, and that's that we need to keep Ninian and Nils as far away from the Black Fang and Nergal as possible"

"Yeah…"

And with that, Ike and Matthew left the fortress in silence, with Ike reflecting on days long gone by; all of them involving Mia in one way or another.

* * *

Back with Mia

Mia was lost to the world right now, she did however, somehow manage to listen to Soren's explanation on possible reasons for why Ike could have left.

'_So… Ike must have left us behind because he believed that that was the course of action that would keep us safe… I suppose I understand now… You left us to keep us safe… Ike! Why?! Why do you always have to keep on sacrificing yourself to try to protect the happiness of others?! And why don't you understand that you're all I need to be happy! WHY IKE, WHY?!'_ Mia shouted in her head, while squinting her eyes and shedding more tears.

'_Right now… I should be furious with you right now… right now… I should hate you… but I can't… for some reason, I can't stay mad at you… and for some reason, hating you is impossible for me to do... I… I suppose I feel like this and always will… because I love you Ike… please Ike, come back to me… I miss you so much right now… I… I NEED to be by your side Ike… I'm lost without you!' _Mia ranted inside her head.

* * *

While Mia was continuing her mental battle to stay attached to Ike in some way, it was now noon, and Lyn's group was caught up in another battle with Lundgren's cronies. The only three from the group that did not participate were; Mia, due to her current situation, Ninian because of her twisted ankle, limiting her to making sure that Mia gets at least enough nutrients and water to stay healthy, and Matthew due to the fact that he hasn't returned yet.

The battle started when Ninian and Nils sensed the incoming of a threat that came in the form of a ballista bolt headed for Lyn. Due to the prediction of danger, Lyn managed to avoid getting skewered and ordered Florina to stay grounded to avoid becoming a target.

The battle took longer than most of their battles, due to the fact that Mia wasn't participating, but Lyn's group managed to emerge victorious after Wil captured the ballista, and killed the enemy leader with a lucky shot to the head, forcing the enemy to retreat.

* * *

The next day…

Lyn and her group returned to Kathelet to enlist any form of help they could get from Eliwood, who was still in the region at the time. However, before they reached the town, they ran into Matthew, who was headed straight for them.

Matthew approached Nils and Ninian and spoke up, "Did someone order a ring by the name of Ninis's Grace?" Matthew said in a mailman-like voice, holding Ninian's ring out for her to take it.

"My ring! You really did bring it back! Thank you so much Matthew!" Ninian said excitedly, while grabbing her ring and putting it on her hand.

"You really did get it from those crooks, I'm sorry I doubted you and your associate Matthew. By the way… did your associate go by the name of Ike?" Lyn said, doing her best to pry some info out of him.

Realizing that there was no use avoiding the subject, Matthew simply decided to tell Lyn and the group, at least a portion of the truth, "Alright, I admit it, the person who was helping me out is the very same Ike that Mia and Soren are looking for"

"I knew it! And since he helped you out, he must still be in the area, just wait until I get my hands on him! I'll pulverize him for hurting Mia like that! Who knows what he said to her that put her in a state like that!" Lyn ranted, already thinking of ways to torture Ike for hurting her friend.

"While I admit and know that Ike did indeed hurt Mia, none of it was intentional, so this should be left between those two and those two alone. And what did you mean when you were talking about Ike saying something that hurt Mia? I was with Ike when Mia tried to catch up to us and neither of us said a word to her, we both hightailed it out of there and lost her before she could get herself involved in what Ike deems as his problem" Matthew asked.

"Oh… so he didn't say anything to hurt Mia, I just thought that since she's in the state she is now I thought that he must have meant that he must have said something that greatly upset her"

"Well your wrong, Ike puts a lot more weight on his shoulders than any of you think; with the possibility of Soren and Mia excluded. After we got Mia off of our tail, courtesy of one of my smoke bombs, Ike chose to stay hidden for a bit, but at the same time, keep an eye on Mia to watch the consequences of his actions unfold… he believed that he deserved to watch and at least feel, to the extent watching can do, the consequences of his decision. What we saw was truly heartbreaking; I looked away after just watching a few seconds of Mia's fall into despair, it was too much to watch, but Ike saw the whole thing. When we turned to leave, his expression was as stoic as ever, but his eyes told a different story, I could tell by just one look into his eyes that he felt truly guilty for all the suffering that Mia went and is still going through, and that guilt was and probably still is, tearing him apart from the inside out. During our trip to the fortress and back, he was always spacing out, something that he never did before during all of our previous jobs together; he was normally calm and collected, always focused on the mission. But now, he's distracted, distant, and if he wasn't an expert at temporarily killing his emotions during a fight and important situations. He would have compromised the mission"

"Wow… it sounds like this Ike person is the kind of person that always puts the weight of the entire world on his shoulders and refuses to accept any help…" Lyn said.

"He is, and this isn't the first time he's put the weight of the world on his shoulders when a dangerous situation comes around. It's really become a bad habit of his… by the way Matthew, did you manage to get any information on that group that was chasing Ninianand Nils? I'm sure that they at least deserve to know the name of the people that are hunting them" Soren explained.

"I suppose I should… it's not much though, I actually plan on digging up some more info on the group later myself. The name of that hooded group is known as the Black Fang, and it appears that their leader, or the person that's controlling their leader, goes by the name of Nergal. This is all the information I have so far" Matthew divulged.

"So this… 'Nergal' person is after Nils and Ninian? Why?" Lyn asked.

"Why indeed… I wish I knew myself, but all I have are assumptions, the only thing that I probably know for certain is that this 'Nergal' character is most likely the person Ike is hunting down" Matthew explained.

"As much as we've all enjoyed this exchange of information, I believe that we should get moving again. Time isn't exactly a luxury we have here you two" Soren said.

"You're right, let's keep moving everyone!" Lyn called out.

* * *

When Lyn's group made it back to Kathelet, Lyn talked to Eliwood to ask him to help her. Eliwood chose to help her in any way he could, but it wasn't much. All he was able to do was make sure that the neighboring territories left Caelin alone. Lyn thanked Eliwoodfor his trouble and prepared for the wave of Lundgren's troops that were coming from General Eagler's estate.

While the troupe prepared for battle, an armored general approached the group. He went by the name of Wallace, and claimed that he would attack if the person claiming to be Lyndis was an imposter. Once he got a good look at Lyn, he said that he would join their cause since he believed that Lyn wasn't an imposter.

The battle took place in the fog, so those who held torches, or were Matthew, had an advantage sight-wise. Mia, once again, along with Ninian, did not participate due to health concerns.

Ike was currently with Hector at the time; Hector was preparing to leave, while Ike was staring out into space. Hector decided that it was time to snap Ike out of it when he was ready to leave.

"Ike, snap out of it!" Hector called out to his friend, "It's time to get going! Stop staring out into space!"

"Huh? Oh… go on ahead Hector… I… I need some time to think by myself…"

"Alright… just make sure to take Mia with you when you come back!" Hector teased.

The taunt however, went unnoticed because Ike was lost to the world again. He returned to staring out into space.

* * *

While Ike zoned out while watching the battle the best he could from a distance, Lyndis's Legion was easily mowing down Lundgren's cronies. The main strategy devised by Soren mostly involved Matthew pointing out the enemy and putting Wallace in front of said foe. After that, Wallace would knock the opponent off balance, and then the person Wallace was shielding would deal the finishing blow. This strategy worked all the way to the showdown with Eagler, once they reached the general, Wallace demanded that he would face Eagler alone. The battle between the paladin and general was fierce, but in the end, Wallace managed to break Eagler's lance with his axe, leaving the paladin opened for the finishing blow, which Wallace delivered swiftly.

Before General Eagler died, his final words told that the marquess was not sick, but poisoned. That only fueled the flames of Lyn's hatred for her granduncle, upon hearing this; she vowed that Lundgren would die by her hands, and that her vengeance on Lundgren will be swift.

* * *

After the battle, Lyn's group immediately headed south to Caelin, they were now a half-day away from the castle when they decided to break for camp. While the whole group worked on setting up tents, Soren and Ninian were focused solely on trying to get Mia out of her vegetable-like state.

Hours passed and everyone turned in, and since Mia didn't respond to any of Soren and Ninian's attempts at rousing her, they both turned in as well, hoping that Mia would be out of her shock induced state tomorrow.

Ike somehow managed to follow the group to where they camped out, which just so happened to be a half-day away from Castle Caelin. Ike was sitting on a branch just out of view from the group, but still in a position to keep an eye on them, or in Ike's case keep an eye on Mia.

Then, all of a sudden, Matthew appeared out of nowhere right next to Ike.

"You still haven't decided yet, have you Ike?" Matthew more stated than asked.

"Hn" Ike grunted.

"You'll have to decide on what you're going to do by tomorrow, Ike. Since you can clearly see the results of your attempt to keep her safe, you're going to have to make a decision soon… between Mia's safety… and her happiness…" Matthew said in a somewhat cryptic voice.

Ike just simply responded by nodding his head and then looking up at the stars.

"Well, we've all got a big day tomorrow… I hope you get your answers soon Ike… just looking at what Mia's going through is really heartbreaking" Matthew said while leaping back to the camp silently.

While Ike looked up at the stars, he thought, _'Father, what would you have done if you were in my place right now? I… I really need your help now more than ever…'_

* * *

_*Ike's Mindscape*_

_Ike found himself back in Crimea, more specifically, he found himself at the spot he normally sparred with his father back when he was alive._

"_You've really gotten yourself into quite a jam, haven't you pup?" a gruff voice that Ike immediately recognized said._

_Ike turned around so fast that if he turned any faster, he would have suffered from whiplash._

"_Father!" Ike yelled out with wide eyes._

_Greil chuckled a little bit before speaking again._

"_Yes, it's me; don't have a heart attack now pup. I'm only here because of your little situation with Mia" Greil said with a serious face._

"_I… I just don't know what to do anymore…" Ike said, immediately downcast. Then warning alarms went off in Ike's head, telling him to dodge before he got hit._

_Ike jumped backwards and noticed that Greil was now wielding a training sword and tossed another one in Ike's direction._

"_A mercenary can't afford to be indecisive you dumb pup! I thought taught you better than that!" Greil lectured._

"_What does my predicament have to do with making decisions as a mercenary?" Ike asked while picking up the training sword._

"_The similarity is what you always used to make those decisions, you dumb pup!" Greil roared._

"_Enough talk! It's high time someone finally beat some sense into you Ike!" Greil said while charging at Ike._

_Ike blocked Greil's downward vertical slash and spoke, "if you really have been watching me from up above, then you should already know that you can't beat me."_

"_If you had a clear mind, then yes. But your mind is anything BUT clear right now, pup!" Greil lectured._

"_What do you mean?" Ike asked, while barely keeping his defensive stance in their father-son sword clash. Greil was currently pushing his sword further into Ike's defense, testing Ike's conviction, which by the way, was faltering by the second._

"_What I mean, is that right now your mind is clouded by a storm that won't leave until you finally make the right decision!"_

"_And how the hell am I supposed to know what the right decision is!" Ike yelled back, with his defense still shaky._

"_That's something that only you know pup!" Greil shouted._

"_How the hell am I supposed to make this decision father?!"_

"_The same way you always do!"_

"_How is doing whatever my heart blurts out going to help?!" Ike countered._

"_Think about it ya dumb pup! Has your heart ever lead you astray before?! Every single important decision you ever made before now was made by following your heart; not your brain. And every single decision you made by following your heart made things better for everyone!" Greil shouted out, pushing his sword even further into Ike's defense._

"_There's no way it can possibly be that simple!" Ike shouted._

"_Yes it is ya dumb pup! Try listening to your heart again and you'll find out soon enough!"_

_Ike thought back on all the important decisions he made as a leader; when he chose to continue on as leader of the Greil Mercenaries in his father's place, escorting Elincia to Begnion, facing the Black Knight alone, allowing Mia to join the Greil Mercenaries, renouncing his position as a noble in Crimea, assisting the Laguz Alliance, defying the Goddess Ashera, and leaving Tellius by himself. Out of all of those choices, the only one that he DID regret was the last one._

_Then he realized, 'I wasn't listening to my heart when I made that decision… that's why things have been going so wrong' Ike thought._

_After that thought, Ike started successfully pushing back against his father's attack. Greil realized this, "Good, it looks like we're making progress. Well then, have you finally decided what you're going to do regarding Mia?"_

"_No, I'm still unsure…"_

"_What does your heart tell you? Listen to it Ike! Out of all the other body parts you've ever used to make a decision, that's the only one that has ever been right!" Greil roared while pushing into Ike's defense again._

_Ike closed his eyes and did whatever he could to clear his mind, so he would be able to listen to what his heart was trying to tell him. When he heard it, and chose to go through with it, the rest of the storm clouds immediately cleared. Ike has finally made up his mind._

_Ike pushed Greil's attack back at him until they were on even ground again._

"_Good, it seems that you've finally made up your mind… but the question is… have you made the right decision?"_

"_Let's find out!" Ike yelled._

_Ike then broke Greil's guard and then spun and delivered a kick to Greil's gut with his right leg, sending his father flying for about 3 yards until he landed flat on his back._

_Greil got up and dusted himself off. When he was done, he spoke, "Good job Ike, I'm proud of you. You've finally made the right decision. Now go to her… you've kept her waiting long enough."_

"_You're right father… thanks for finally knocking some sense into me"_

"_Anytime pup, anytime"_

_Ike looked at his father one last time before finally speaking up again._

"_This is just a dream… isn't it father?" Ike asked._

"_OF COURSE IT IS! BUT DOES THAT MAKE THIS ANY LESS REAL?!" Greil shouted before Ike snapped his eyes open and woke up._

_*Exit Mindscape*_

* * *

Ike snapped his eyes open after hearing his father shout at him for the last time.

It was morning now, and when Ike looked in the direction of the camp and noticed that all the tents were gone, and the fire pit was now cold, not to mention that nobody inhabited the site other than himself right now.

Ike immediately looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun was positioned almost exactly in at the center of the sky.

Realizing this, Ike immediately took off at top speed in the direction of Castle Caelin, berating himself on sleeping in. _'Dammit! It's almost noon now! Mia's group will be attacking Castle Caelin any minute now! I have to hurry and find Mia NOW! Lundgren's forces are too large for them to take on by themselves, even with Soren guiding them'_ Ike frantically thought while running.

Ike's race against time has begun…

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER!!!**

**Riku: Whew… that took a lot of work**

**Soren: You do realize that this chapter is now officially your longest chapter yet, right?**

**Riku: Really?! I was too busy avoiding an Aether to my head to notice**

**Soren: Well it is, and I'm pretty sure that both Ike and Mia now forgive you for last chapter**

**Riku: I really hope so; those two are scary when they're mad… well anyway, next time… Endgame: Battle Reunion!**

**Soren: Please review, or the Aether attacks that were meant for Riku will be directed at you!**


	13. Reunion

**Riku: It's time to get these two to finally cross their paths and stay crossed**

**Mia: No more heartbreak?**

**Riku: Hopefully**

**Ike: That's not very reassuring…**

**Riku: I know, disclaimer time!**

**Soren: Riku does not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters**

**Riku: That's right, so that means that the makers of Fire Emblem have no right to sue me. They have enough money as it is!**

(A/N: No Ikes were castrated in the making of this chapter; one was however, savagely beaten.)

* * *

Chapter 13

Battle Reunion

After defeating General Eagler, Lyn and her band continue to draw nearer to Castle Caelin. Inside the castle walls, Lyn's bitter enemy, her own Granduncle, a man who would kill his own kin for power and a throne awaits for a final showdown. Lundgren is the source of all of Lyn's troubles and must be stopped at all costs.

Lyn and her band are now only a few miles away from Castle Caelin, the only thing between them now is a small mountain that they have to march around, and a small army of soldiers (more than 10 times the amount in the game, I'm trying to make it an impossible task without Ike and Mia's backup).

"It looks like everything rests on this next battle for you Lyn" Soren said.

"Lundgren isn't going to be receiving the reinforcements he expected from other Lycian territories, he'll be coming at us with everything he has soon" Sain said.

"That's mostly going to be as many loyal Caelin soldiers he can bring out, and we can safely expect a bunch of mercenary troops as well" Soren deduced.

"Let them come! Bring them all on! I will not back down! I will see my grandfather! I've come too far to let anyone stand in my way" Lyn proclaimed adamantly.

"This is our final battle, let's get this over with. Please, lend me your strength one last time" Lyn said.

* * *

Ike was dashing as fast as his feet could carry him in the direction of Castle Caelin, by now most people would be tired, but he had a lot more stamina than most people due to how many sparring matches he had with stamina freak Mia, and fighting in two wars. He only had two objectives, find Mia and apologize, and after most likely being beaten by a scorned Mia, join her group and save it from destruction by Lundgren's forces.

After stopping to catch his breath, Ike finally came into view of Castle Caelin.

"*Huff* I… I made it… *Puff* now I just have to find Mia, get my bound to eventually happen beating, and then help her group defeat Lundgren" Ike said to himself.

After getting his few minutes of rest, Ike took off in the direction of the battlefield.

* * *

Mia was still comatose, since she wouldn't be any help at the moment she was placed in a safe location hidden from the enemy. Ninian's ankle was healed enough for her to walk, so she was in charge of keeping her out of harm's way.

She was successful at first, but then the soldiers that managed to go around Lyn's group in hopes of flanking them discovered them. Because of that, they were now on the run, with Ninian dragging Mia away from the soldiers that were slowly approaching them.

"Mia, please! Wake up; I need your help now. We're both going to die if you don't wake up!" Ninian pleaded.

Her pleas however, fell on deaf ears. Mia just simply stayed as comatose as before.

The two soldiers that found them were actually mercenaries that clearly liked what they found.

"Well, well, well… it looks like we've found two gorgeous ladies to have some fun with before we kill them" one of the mercenaries said.

"Hmmm… that seems like a waste, but considering how we're pressed for time. I guess I'll let what you said slide" the other one said.

Since Ninian was cornered and Mia was currently indisposed, she did the only thing she could do at the time, "SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP!" Ninian pleaded at the top of her lungs.

* * *

Ike was currently looking for Mia around the edge of the battlefield when he heard Ninian's desperate cry for help, and being the kind of person he is, Ike took off in the direction of the cry.

When he reached the site of Ninian's cry, he saw Ninian, two mercenaries, and the person that he was looking for… Mia, completely comatose without any wounds.

'_She's completely comatose… and she isn't wounded on the outside in any way… this is all my fault isn't it? I have to make things up to her as soon as possible! I suppose killing those two idiots would be a good place to start…'_ Ike thought.

Ninian was about to look away and prepare for the worst when she heard the sound of metal flying through the air. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a sword that looked almost exactly like Mia's Alondite flying at the mercenaries. When the mercenaries noticed what Ninian was looking at, it was already too late; Ragnell hit its mark in the first mercenary's chest, killing him instantly. When the second mercenary looked in the direction of where the sword was thrown, he had zero reaction time to what he saw. He saw the fist of the sword's wielder impacting his face, causing him to fly back into a tree clutching his face.

"Dude! That hurt you f-" He never even got to finish his sentence because he now found the same sword that killed his comrade protruding out of his chest. He was dead before he even got the chance to see the face of his killer.

Ninian looked at her savior and noticed that he fit the description of Ike perfectly, so she decided to ask, "You're name wouldn't happen to be Ike wouldn't it?"

"Yes, it is…" Ike said while approaching Mia, hoping that he might be able to rouse her… and sure enough, Mia started to raise her head with her eyes still half closed after Ike shook her a bit and said, "Come on Mia, I think it's time for you to get up, you've slept long enough as it is!"

Mia then managed to open her eyes the rest of the way and noticed that she was looking at the face of the very person she wanted to see all this time.

"I-Ike? I-Is that you?" Mia asked with a slightly scratchy voice.

"Yes, it's me" Ike responded simply.

Mia started to tear up sniffle before grabbing onto Ike while desperately calling out his name. Taking in every detail of him, memorizing every bit of him as if he might suddenly fade away and disappear again, but he didn't. He was here, and she was going to make sure that he stayed that way.

Ninian noticed that Mia's face changed from desperately relieved to somewhat creepy and sadistic. Ninian concluded that Mia was now going to punish Ike with a savage beating and decided to back away to a safe distance.

Ike than heard Mia speak up and looked down at her when she said, "Oh, Iiiike…" Mia said in a creepy tone of voice.

'_Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to enjoy the next few moments of my life?'_ Ike thought to himself.

"You do realize that I have to beat you up now right?" Mia said, smiling sadistically.

Ike backed away, put his hands up in a defensive way, smiled sheepishly and said, "I know I probably deserve what you're going to do, but can't it wait until after we help your friends?"

"Nope!" Mia replied while smirking.

'_Mommy!'_ Ike thought.

The next scene has been deemed too surreal to be described to younger audiences and too difficult for the author to type so it will have to be omitted (Sorry!).

* * *

Soren was NOT having a good time at all. Reason number one was that the enemy force was three times the number that was expected. Reason number two was that he was almost positive that the enemy was getting ready to send a flanking force out to get them, and reason number three was that ever since the battle started, he was worried that something might happen to Ninian. The odd part about that was that he had absolutely no idea why he was worried about her, he hasn't even known her for very long and he has never worried about anyone before! So why is he worried about someone now?

Matthew noticed the look on Soren's face and decided to tease Soren a little while they were experiencing a break in the action.

"Worried about someone?" Matthew asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Soren said, trying to keep his composure up.

"Your face says otherwise, so who are you thinking about? Does her name start with the letter N and end with another N?" Matthew said with a knowing smirk.

Soren blushed and looked away saying, "I SAID I have no idea what you're talking about Matthew! Now get to cutting down that snag by the river so a few of us can get across and use that area as a shortcut to the castle!" Soren ordered.

"If you say so, but I still think that that patch of red on your face is a blush instead of sunburn!" Matthew said while running away laughing.

Soren just looked down and thought, _'What the hell is it that I'm feeling? Alright I admit that I am attracted to Ninian in a way, but there is no way that I could have feelings like THAT towards her… right?'_

Soren mulled over this before he pushed the thought aside and joined the battle at the bridge just to the west of town to even the odds of the losing battle that Wallace was recieving the brunt of.

* * *

Back with Ike and Mia

Ike now had a very sore gut that Mia used as a punching bag, and a very sore head that Mia clocked several times. Ike was also nursing other various injuries that he received from Mia's brutal punishment session, but once she was done applying a vulnerary to Ike's bruises, she forgave him for leaving her behind, but only after he promised to never leave her behind on one of his crazy adventures ever again.

"So what's the plan, Ike?" Mia asked after getting Ninian to hide in a place that Lundgren's grunts wouldn't find her.

"We should probably get to a high place so we can get a good view of the battlefield and get a better assessment of the situation" Ike said, using big words that he normally wouldn't use.

"Sounds good to me! The sooner we find some bad guys, the sooner the Two Mercenary Army can get back in business!" Mia proclaimed, back in her usual chipper attitude.

"Then let's move already, you're falling behind!" Ike said in the distance while climbing up a small mountain.

"HEY! NO FAIR! YOU GOT A HEAD START IKE!" Mia playfully complained while chasing after him.

* * *

Once the pair reached the top and got a good view of the situation, they noticed that the largest area of conflict was on a bridge that had an armored general blocking the enemy advance with Soren and other long range fighters backing him up. However, the thing that had the pair worried was the flanking force that was sneaking by using another bridge hidden near the mountains and river that Ike and Mia were located near.

"Well Mia, it looks like we've found our first victims" Ike said.

"Yep! Race you to the bottom Ike!" Mia said while sliding down a slope in an expert way that could only be achieved through years of practice.

"That head start was payback from earlier wasn't it?" Ike shouted while following Mia's lead.

"Yup!" Mia shouted back.

* * *

The flanking force had just made it across the river when they suddenly felt like they were being watched.

"Did you ever get the feeling like you're being watched boss?" a grunt asked his squad leader.

"Yeah, I have that feeling too. Stay on your toes men! We might get some company soon, and we can't die until after we flank the enemy's main force and take them out!" the squad leader shouted.

Then all of a sudden, they heard the sound of rocks falling and looked up. Only to see a violet haired woman with in an orange cloak descend upon them and cut down the unfortunate souls that had the misfortune to be in her landing space. That wasn't the end of it though, another person descended upon them, this one was a man that had blue hair and was wearing a red cape. The two of them took down the entire flanking force in a surprise attack that left the leader of it all alone and shaking in his boots. The leader did all he could at this time, he pleaded for his life.

"Please! Let me go! I don't wanna die!" the mercenary begged.

"Then you will surrender your weapons, abandon your armor and leave at once" Ike said.

"Alright, done!" the horrified man said. He immediately dropped his sword and stripped his armor off. Once that was done, he ran off in the opposite direction of the battle.

"Why'd you let him go Ike?" Mia asked.

"The reason is because our fight is with Lundgren, not the people he orders around, besides, you know as well as I do that our swords Ragnell and Alondite are incapable of killing those who do not defend themselves" Ike explained.

"You have a point there… so what do we do next Ike? Do we join the others or flank the enemy from the rear?" Mia asked.

"I'll go with choice number two, it looks like the enemy numbers have been narrowed down to fifty, that's more than enough for the two of us to handle" Ike said.

"So that means I take twenty-five and you take twenty-five, are you alright with that Ike?" Mia asked.

"That sounds reasonable, can you lend me your share?" Ike joked.

"NO! They're my prey!" Mia shouted and laughed at the same time.

"I was only joking"

"I know"

* * *

"Soren's day wasn't getting any better at all, he was still worried about Ninian's safety for reasons he couldn't fathom, and now it looks like the group that was supposed to flank the enemy's main force from the south by taking a route they discovered by knocking down a snag to use as a makeshift bridge encountered the enemy after knocking down a second snag.

There were still no casualties thanks to Wallace and his thick armor taking the brunt of the main force and pushing them back with vigor each time.

Lyn's group still hasn't lost the bridge, but they haven't gained any ground either. If things kept going on like this, it would become a war of attrition, which was something they couldn't afford right now. Right when Soren was about to ask Lyn to call a tactical retreat, Florina came back from a scouting run and landed next to Lyn. Soren decided to listen in before making a final decision.

"Lyn, it's incredible! Mia's up and about again and she just flanked Lundgren's forces with the help of a man with blue hair and a red cape. But the most amazing part is that they're winning!" Florina exclaimed.

"Really?! That person Mia's with must be this Ike person I've heard so much about. If he's as good as I've been told, then this should even the odds" Lyn said.

"It will, when Mia is teamed up with Ike, then they're known as the Two Mercenary Army. They got that name because whenever they fight alongside each other, they're able to synchronize their sword styles to a level of perfection that allows them to be able to take on an obscene amount of opponents while only receiving a few cuts at best, nothing even close to life-threatening" Soren exclaimed.

"So that means that this fight is practically already won?" Lyn asked.

"Pretty much, but we shouldn't stop until after we defeat Lundgren" Soren said.

"Right!" Lyn responded before rejoining the fray.

What they didn't know was that Matthew heard the whole thing, _'It looks like Ike finally came to a decision, and it looks like he made the right one too. Well, I suppose it's time to get back to work.'_

* * *

In the center of the chaos of the battlefield

Mia was having the time of her life. Not because she was in the center of the battlefield, facing down dozens of enemies, but because she was doing it by Ike's side just like the good old days with the Greil Mercenaries.

Whenever an enemy tried to stab at one of them, the one that was targeted would spin out of the way while the other one would take advantage of the opening and killing the enemy. Another maneuver they used involved Ike blocking an enemy attack while Mia jumped over him and took down the enemy from above. Most to all of their maneuvers involved using Ike's brute strength and sturdiness, and Mia's flexibility and speed to their advantage. All in all, they were practically untouchable when they worked together!

"So Ike, how many have you taken down so far? I've already cut down twenty!" Mia proudly proclaimed.

"You're slipping Mia, I already have twenty-four taken care of" Ike said before slashing another across his chest, killing him the second Ragnell makes contact with his heart, "Scratch that, I've just finished off my twenty-five opponents. Are you sure you don't need help with your twenty-five?"

"I'm perfectly fine, while you were too busy flapping your gums, I took down another four… see" Mia said pointing at her dead opponents.

"Well I still won, the score is 25-24, winner, Ike!" Ike proudly proclaimed while Mia huffed and looked away.

"Well if you're done basking in your victory, shouldn't we be helping Lyn and Soren take down that bastard Lundgren?" Mia said, reminding Ike of their mission.

"Alright, geez since when did you get all serious?"

Mia then turned around with a playful gleam in her eye and jumped onto Ike's back, "Never! I was just pretending to be serious! I got you didn't I?" Mia said while grinning ear to ear, just simply glad that she's finally with Ike again.

"Alright, alright! You got me, can you get off my back now? That isn't exactly the best place to be during a battle" Ike said.

"I guess you're right… well then, let's get going already!" Mia announced while getting off of Ike's back and pointing in the direction of Castle Caelin.

* * *

Lyn was in a real bind, Wallace was too weak from taking on so many enemy soldiers from the stalemate at the bridge to be able to fight Lundgren, and because her evil granduncle was fighting with a javelin, mages or bow & arrow attacks were out of the question because their attacks would be thrown back at them.

Lyn thought that at this point, she would have to take on Lundgren all by herself, that was until Soren came to her rescue with a blast of wind magic. Soren's attack disarmed Lundgren of the silver lance that he was wielding and left him wide open for Lyn to strike. She didn't waste any time at all, Lyn drew the Mani Katti and darted in for a stabbing blow, aimed directly for Lundgren's heart. Lyn's attack struck true, before Lundgren could reach for his javelin, he was pierced in the heart and killed instantly.

"It's over, Lundgren is gone… I can finally see my grandfather" Lyn said.

"Great job Lyn! I knew you could do it!" Mia said in the bouncy way she normally says things.

"Mia! It's great to see you up and about again, you look as good as new" Lyn pointed out.

"Never better! Of course I wouldn't have been in that condition at all if THIS (points at Ike) knucklehead never left in the first place!" Mia said.

"How many times are you going to remind me until you finally let it go…" Ike says in a tired voice.

"About 15 more times should do it!"

"Can you just get it out of the way now?" Ike asks.

"I guess so…" Mia says while grinning sadistically.

"Well if you excuse me… I should get going now" Lyn says while backing away from Mia.

"Oh! That's right! You're on a bit of a time limit here. Well get going! You don't exactly have all day. Move! Move! Move! You have a dying old man to visit!" Mia says while pushing Lyn into Castle Caelin.

"Well then Ike… where were we?" Mia said

'_And let the torture I deserve continue…'_ Ike thought.

* * *

With Soren

"I take it that you were in contact with Ike for most of the time?" Soren asks Matthew.

"Alright, alright you caught me!" Matthew said defensively.

"So, will you tell me who Ike has been working for all this time and what his mission is here?" Soren asked.

"That's something you'll have to ask Ike about, Soren. By the way, what are you going to do now, you've reunited Mia with the love of her life. What are you going to do now?" Matthew asked.

"Dunno, my first thought was to just simply help Ike with whatever his goal on this continent was after finding him, but now I'm not so sure"

"I'm guessing that a fair maiden in need of assistance by the name of Ninian is the cause of this indecision" Matthew said knowingly.

"It's not like that, now shut up" Soren said calmly while blushing.

"You're face says otherwise, is that sunburn or are you blushing?"

"I said that it's not like that, now drop it!" Soren said with even more defiance.

"The first step in falling in love is always denial…"

"I told you it's not like that! Now drop it and shaddup!" Soren shouted while blushing very badly.

"The more you deny it like that the more you confirm it for me!" Matthew teased.

"You're impossible!" Soren huffed while turning his back to Matthew and walking away with a very big blush on his face.

"You didn't deny it! Point goes to Matthew!" Matthew announced in an enthusiastic voice.

* * *

When Soren found Ike and Mia, he saw Mia panting from lack of air, clearly from a lot of yelling. Ike on the other hand looked like a scolded puppy, wide eyes and all. Soren chucked at this before speaking up.

"Are you done chewing Ike out now Mia?" Soren asked.

"Yeah, he's all yours now Soren" Mia panted out.

"Good"

'_Well, at least Soren isn't the kind of person that will yell in your face, but his interrogation sessions can be just as bad if you don't comply. I might as well just tell him everything I know and get it over with…'_ Ike thought.

"Well Ike, would you mind telling me why you left Tellius in the first place?" Soren asked.

"I suppose I can tell you, you see it all started when…"

(As you know, I am far too lazy to re-summarize Ike's reason for leaving all over again. So for those who need to know about it all over again, just look up the extra in chapter 2 because I refuse to re-summarize this!)

"And that's how it all happened" Ike said, concluding his story.

"That is quite a story Ike, but you never lied to me before, so I believe you. It also looks like our true enemy is after Ninian and Nils for some reason. I think one of us should travel with them and protect them from this person called Nergal until we defeat him" Soren said.

"Are you volunteering Soren? Because I think you are" Ike taunted.

Soren was now lightly blushing and only said, "Well… if you insist, at least it'll give me something to do for the time being, and it'll give me a good chance to see what we're up against…"

"Well then, is there anything else you'd like to know?" Ike asked.

"The only thing I want to know is why you chose to leave me behind Ike!" Mia said.

"I didn't want you involved in something I was asked to do. I was also worried that you might have gotten hurt if you went along with me because our enemy that goes by the name of Nergal is apparently strong enough to make the goddess of creation herself worry. I just didn't want you involved in all this, at least that's what my brain was telling me. If there is one thing I learned from all this, it's that I should never listen to my brain ever again when it comes to an important decision because it will always be wrong!" Ike explained.

"I agree with you on that last part, your brain is quite possibly the stupidest brain I have ever seen at work when it comes to decisions! Your heart however, is the complete opposite. Whenever you followed what it said, you always made the right decision and it never lead you astray… it even lead you back to me…" Mia said while walking up to Ike and eventually embracing him.

"And I'm going to make sure that I never make a stupid mistake like the one that separated us ever again. I promise" Ike said while looking down at Mia while returning her loving embrace.

"Thank you…" Mia said while moving her head into a comfortable position on Ike's chest, smiling happily and glad to finally be reunited with the man she will always love unconditionally.

'_I think I'll leave these two alone for the time being…'_Soren thought while walking away, choosing not to be there whenever the couple would decide to start making out.

* * *

When the whole group gathered after Lyn met her grandfather and restored his spirits. They all decided on what to do next.

Lyn decided to stay at Castle Caelin with her grandfather and refused to even think of leaving his side until he's well again.

Kent and Sain remained as knights obviously and continued to serve Caelin, and Kent became Knight Commander of the Royal Knights with Sain as second in command.

Florina was taken into service of house Caelin, and was very happy to be working near her best friend Lyn.

Wil, having grown fond of the Lyndis's Legion, chose to stay in Caelin for the time being as well.

Dorcas returned to his wife Natalie in Bern, and moved to Pherae and made a living as a mercenary.

Serra was safely returned to Ostia thanks to Erk while Erk somehow managed to maintain his sanity. After completing his contract, Erk returned to Etruia to continue to master his magic capabilities.

After the battle, Rath disappeared unseen, whether he returned to Sacae or returned to being a mercenary, nobody really knows.

Lucius studied in Caelin for a little bit, but then received a summons to go somewhere else and left. It is believed that he has been seen working with a hard eyed mercenary.

Having his desire for battle reignited, Wallace chose to travel around the country in search of powerful opponents. However, due to his poor sense of direction, it's gonna take a while for him to find his way back home.

Matthew disappeared shortly after the battle completely unnoticed and returned to Ostia to inform Lord Uther of what he's found out, and to inform him that he won their secret bet and Ike's returning with Mia by his side.

Ninian and Nils left Caelin after a few days however, they weren't leaving alone and unprotected. They had Soren there as both a guardian, but as a friend. Soren really didn't mind all that much, mostly because he could use this to figure out what his feelings are concerning Ninian. There is a good chance however, that he might never find out without some external help…

Ike returned to Ostia to resume his position as the enigmatic Black Knight and Hector's guard, this time however, he did not return alone. He had Mia by his side and he was going to make sure that that is where she will stay.

Mia followed Ike to Ostia, determined to make sure that Ike doesn't leave her sight even for a second. When they returned, she was welcomed with open arms and also found out that until Nergal is defeated, she'll have to put up with Ike living a double life as both himself, and the Black Knight, but she didn't mind, as long as she was with Ike, that's all that mattered to her. She also noticed Lord Uther pass Matthew a bag of gold coins behind their backs when he looked at Mia.

The only downside to all this that Mia sees in all this is having to put up with snooty, stuck up nobles. However, since she managed to survive something similar to all this back when Ike was temporarily a noble, she figured she'd be able to put up with it. She was right to, but mostly because the only noble she really ran into most of the time was Hector, and he doesn't exactly behave like your average noble…

* * *

**End of Part One**

**Mia: Yay! Part one is done and I'm with Ike now!**

**Ike: Good, now the only thing I have to worry about is what happens in part two of this story.**

**Author: Don't worry, I won't kill any of you… at least I don't think I will…**

**Mia: You better not! (Draws Alondite in a threatening manner)**

**Soren: Why do I have the feeling that I will have to suffer a tragedy of some sort in part two?**

**Author: (Backs away from Mia and then looks at Soren) Well, you are involved with Ninian, so that's a distinct possibility**

**Soren: I don't like where this is going…**

**Riku: Well anyway… Please review, and I will try to convince the author to start part two after New Year's Day.**


	14. Separation

**Riku: We are now back up and running guys!**

**Mia: Break time over?**

**Riku: Break time over**

**Mia: Hurray!**

**Ike: It took you long enough…**

**Riku: Sorry, I just wanted to spend some time on my other stories before getting back to this one, but now I'm back on this one so Reclaiming what was Lost is now back up and running! Mia! Shout out the disclaimer so we can get this party started!**

**Mia: RIKU DOES NOT OWN FIRE EMBLEM!!!**

**Ike: I THINK YOU JUST BROKE MY EARDRUMS MIA!**

**Mia: WHAT?!**

**Riku: I think Mia over did things again… well, I'm pretty sure they'll have their hearing back by the end of the chapter, or once they figure out that they're not in this chapter…**

* * *

Chapter 14

Separation

A year has passed since Soren parted ways with Ike and Mia, and things have been rather tedious for the half-breed archsage due to the rather frequent attacks from the Black Fang. There have been a grand total of 12 attacks this month and Soren was exhausted. At least Soren managed to find out that the reason that the Black Fang was after Ninian and Nils was because that they are actually both dragons, and a person by the name of Nergal is after them because of it.

Soren however, is now in a serious pickle on the 13th attack of the 13th month of traveling with Ninian and Nils. The Black Fang decided to send one of its Four Fangs after him. If it was just him against the Valkyrie Ursula, Soren would win without breaking a sweat, but unfortunately, life wasn't fair that way. Due to the amount of numbers that he was up against, he was forced to take Ninian and Nils and run to avoid getting his ass handed to him.

The escape was actually going pretty well until Ninian was hit by a Bolting spell. Soren was then forced to quickly pick Ninian up bridal style since it was the fastest way to pick her up, and run again to find a safe and strategically positioned hiding spot. Unfortunately however, they were not lucky enough to find one because Ursula and a good amount of her flunkies caught up to them and surrounded them.

"I highly suggest you three surrender now and come quietly, you're surrounded and cannot win" Ursula stated while putting away her Bolting tome.

However, surrender was actually the last thing on Soren's mind right now. It might seem illogical right now since the odds were against him dangerously, yet somehow, he didn't seem to care. All he knew right now was that he had to save Ninian and Nils and he has every intention of doing so.

Soren then put Ninian down on the ground and whispered to her, "Just trust me Ninian, this isn't much of a plan, but it's the best I can do right now…"

Ninian just nodded her head, choosing to trust Soren, hoping that he can get them out of this mess.

"Finally giving up?" Ursula asked.

"Not exactly…" Soren said while pulling out a Tornado tome from his robes, "I have no intention of surrendering to the likes of you, let's see how you and your grunts handle this… **TORNADO!!!**" Soren shouted out while casting his powerful wind magic. Soren then used his spell as a distraction to pick up Ninian and run while shouting out, "Nils! We have to get out of here now! Let's go!"

Nils clearly got the message and took off after Soren and the injured Ninian.

When the spell dissipated, Ursula noticed that the targets escaped, and their mage bodyguard wiped out half of her forces in one attack. Ursula cursed and then ordered, "Search the surrounding area until you find them! They couldn't have gone far!"

Her grunts saluted and took off in the direction Soren, Ninian, and Nils escaped.

* * *

Soren decided that they were now a good distance away from their pursuers and set Ninian down so that he could search through his cloak for a vulnerary. While Soren was doing this, Nils was lying against a random stump hoping that he could get at least an hour of rest before being forced to run like a maniac again. Ninian on the other hand, was being tended to by Soren, and having the burn marks that were dealt to her by Ursula's Bolting spell healed by Soren's healing ointment, blushing the entire time.

Once Soren was finally done, Soren decided that it was time to get moving again and said, "We've rested long enough, we have to keep moving or we'll get surrounded again like last time."

"But how are we going to lose them Soren?" Nils asked. _'And can't we rest a little while longer? I don't have nearly as much stamina as you! I'm tired!!!'_

"If I remember correctly, there's a rope bridge that's used to cross a gorge near here, we can cross it and then cut the ropes after crossing it to prevent our pursuers from following us." Soren planned.

"That could work, let's get going before they catch up to us" Ninian said.

* * *

Soren, Ninian, and Nils just reached the bridge when Nils noticed that it was rather old and rickety.

"This doesn't look safe Soren… are you sure that this is a good idea?" Nils asked while Ninian agreed, "Nils has a point; this bridge doesn't exactly look very stable."

"I'm well aware of that, and if we weren't being chased right now, I would look for an alternate route, but we're rather pressed for time right now and don't really have a choice. This is our best chance at losing our pursuers for the time being" Soren reasoned.

"How exactly are we going to get across safely?" Nils asked.

"By the looks of this bridge, it seems like it's capable of supporting one person at a time, so I guess we'll have to go one at a time." Soren said.

"Who's going to go first then?" Nils asked.

"Why don't you go first Nils? You're the lightest out of all three of us" Ninian said.

"Well… okay then…" Nils said, still unsure if crossing the bridge was a good idea.

Nils slowly inched his way across the bridge with both of his hands on the rope railing, making sure to test each plank before applying weight to it. About 10 minutes passed before Nils made it to the other side. With Nils now on the other side of the bridge, it was now Ninian's turn.

Ninian inched her way across the bridge in a fashion similar to Nils, in fact, she was actually crossing the bridge faster than Nils until one of her feet collapsed through a plank, causing her to gasp and panic with her eyes wide open in fear of falling into the river below. Ninian squirmed and tried to free herself until she heard Soren call out, "Ninian! Calm down and listen to my instructions! I'll guide you through this!"

Ninian slowly calmed down by breathing deeply for about 15 seconds before nodding and listening to Soren.

"Alright, start by kneeling down and apply as little weight as possible on the plank at the same time, then use your free hand to pry away enough of the plank to free your foot" Soren instructed.

Ninian followed Soren's instructions to the letter and kneeled down while slightly pulling on the rope railing with her left hand while prying away at the flimsy wood with her other hand, and after a minute of prying, Ninian managed to free her leg and continued inching her way across the bridge with even more caution before.

Soren was about to start crossing the bridge when Ninian sensed danger and then cried out, "SOREN! DUCK!"

Soren did as he was instructed with an impressive reaction time and just barely dodged an arrow shot by a Black Fang member in the trees.

"Tch, almost had him" the member grumbled in frustration.

Soren then heard the sound of the footsteps of a large group and decided that now was no longer the time to be cautious and ran across the bridge at full speed. He was actually rather lucky to not have any planks give way until he was two-thirds of the way there, and when it did give out, Soren reached into his cloak and pulled out a dagger that he used to cut away the offending wood in one clean cut. However, before he could continue, a bolt of lightning from a thunder spell struck the bridge behind Soren, causing it to be split in half and forcing Soren to hold onto the rope railing for dear life.

"SOREN!" Ninian cried out in panic as she ran to the edge of the gorge. She then wore a look of worry and relief when she saw that Soren was still with them, but needed help pulling himself up.

Nils then caught up and then shouted, "Hang on, we'll pull you up!"

While Ninian and Nils started working together to pull the shattered remains of the rope bridge up, Soren looked at the other side and saw an archer taking aim at him. Soren immediately grabbed the dagger that he just recently put back into his cloak and prepared to deflect the shot. When the archer saw this, he decided to redirect his aim and instead aimed for the rope that Soren was hanging onto. Soren then looked back up and saw that he was almost within arm's reach of Ninian, he put his dagger away and started to reach for the girl that he 'might' have feelings for while she did the same. Soren was almost able to grab Ninian's hand when the shot was made, cutting the rope cleanly in two, causing Soren to fall into the river below while Ninian cried out in horror with tears starting to fall from her eyes, **"NO!!! SOREN!!!"**

Soren then blacked out as soon as he hit the water.

A day later, Soren was found at the river's edge by a red-headed Pheraen noble, alive but unconscious.

* * *

**Riku: I'm evil aren't I?**

**Soren: Yes you are… how could you do this to me?**

**Riku: Would you rather have been shot down by Ursula's Bolting spell?**

**Soren: NO!!! I'd prefer it if I wasn't defeated at all!!!**

**Riku: Sorry, but it was required for the plot**

**Ike: Okay, my hearing has returned… so what happened?**

**Riku: Not much, but you missed the chapter**

**Mia: Was I in it?**

**Riku: No, and Ike wasn't in it either**

**Mia: Drat!**

**Riku: Soren, would you like to make the review request?**

**Soren: No! I'm currently fuming over what you did to me!!!**

**Riku: Somebody's getting a little uncharacteristically emotional…**

**Ike: I'll do it… review or both Mia and I will let Soren vent his anger on you…**


	15. A Second Journey Begins

**Riku: Sorry about the wait… I kinda forgot about this story for a bit… hehe…**

**Mia: WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU FORGOT!!!**

**Soren: You left me at a cliffhanger and dropped me off of a cliff!**

**Ike: Mia and I were only mentioned in the last chapter!**

**Riku: Well if it makes you guys feel any better, last chapter wasn't exactly a true chapter… it was more of an interlude between the two separate parts of the story.**

**Mia: THAT DOESN'T MAKE ME FEEL BETTER AT ALL!!!**

**Ike: Mia, please calm down, I'm a little peeved about being forgotten too, but you're blowing up at him for not being in the last chapter. I wasn't even in about half of the chapters in this story so far, so you don't really have that much to complain about.**

**Mia: I guess you're right… I'm still a little disappointed…**

**Ike: Maybe this will help… (Kisses Mia deeply)**

**Soren: At least that got her to stop blowing out our eardrums…**

**Riku: Since both of them seem to be a little… occupied right now, you get to say the disclaimer Soren.**

**Soren: Riku does not own Fire Emblem, and he never will because he's really just some high school junior from Pennsylvania**

**Riku: You didn't need to tell them that!**

Chapter 15

A Second Journey Begins

Both Mia and Ike had a rather uneventful year at Castle Ostia; Mia was normally bored beyond all reason whenever she couldn't spar with Ike due to his duties as the Black Knight. She did however, become fast friends with Hector due to the fact that both of them had close enough to no manners and only want to fight as much as possible, thus giving Mia a new sparring partner. Mia of course, won all of her matches against Hector due to her superior skill and greater level of experience.

There was really only one event during the whole year after Ike and Mia's reunion that would be notable, and that would be the two getting married. It all started when Ike made a moonlight proposal that left Mia crying out tears of joy, and then all of Ike's friends at Castle Ostia immediately chipped in on arranging a rather subtle wedding due to the fact that Ike didn't want to attract any unneeded attention, particularly the Black Fang's attention due to the fact that the fang has a price on his head due to his meddling in their affairs over and over again.

On the day of the wedding itself, the group of people attending was small and only had their friends from Ostia. Ike wanted Soren to be there to be his best man, but since they could not find him anywhere, Hector had to take his place instead. As to be expected, Mia cried tears of happiness during the entire ceremony and later noticed that Ike's ceremonial white robes (that he wasn't exactly all that comfortable in) explained that fortune that she was given all those years ago. Uther also presided over the slightly inconspicuous ceremony since he had a day of free time out of the public's eyes, and of course, with Mia being… well… Mia, she ended up throwing herself at Ike and kissed him senseless when Uther was halfway through saying "You may now kiss the bride", causing the few people that were actually there to giggle and laugh at Uther's look of exasperation while he walked off mumbling something about knowing that he would be unable to finish that last sentence.

However, that was approximately 3 months ago… We now see Ike and Mia spying on Hector complaining to his older brother Uther about something involving Eliwood, and Marquess Pherae's disappearance. Once Hector stormed off… most likely to do something rash and unplanned, the couple approached the Marquess and Mia asked, "What was that about?"

Uther sighed before responding, "Hector heard about Marquess Pherae's disappearance and is now planning on helping Eliwood out with his search, and it looks like Hector is planning on leaving with, or without my permission."

"So do you want us to stop him, or help him?" Ike asked.

"You two are to just simply follow him and help him in any way possible" Uther responded.

Ike looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking up again, "You already knew Hector was going to do this didn't you?" Ike asked.

"Of course, after all… I know my own little brother better than anyone else" Uther replied.

"We have a lot of catching up to do then, I wouldn't be surprised if Hector was already halfway to the border!" Mia added.

"Alright, you two are dismissed, now I suggest the two of you start packing and catch up to Hector as soon as possible!" Uther commanded.

"Yes, sir!" Ike and Mia saluted (although, Mia made sure to over exaggerate her salute, and make it look funny) before taking off to their room to start packing, which mostly meant just grabbing their swords, Ike's axe Urvan, and enough money to last them for about a week.

* * *

With Eliwood

It has been about a week since Eliwood found Soren unconscious at a riverbed near Castle Pherae, and a month since Eliwood's father, Lord Elbert vanished. Many people believe by now that Lord Elbert is dead; Eliwood however, believes that he is still alive and is now leaving to find him. We now join Eliwood and his small group near the border between Pherae and Santaruz…

"Mother, it's time of us to go" Eliwood said to his mother, who chose that she would rather say goodbye to her son at the border instead of the castle.

"Eliwood… Promise that you will return to me safely. I may be worried about your father, but… If anything were to happen to you… My heart would not be able to bear the sorrow." Eliwood's mother, Eleanora pleaded.

"I know, Mother. Please don't worry. Father is alive. I know it, and I promise that I will find him and return him as soon as possible."

"I have your word then."

"Yes, of course" Eliwood then turned to the blue-haired female paladin next to his mother, "Isadora, I will entrust my mother's safety to you in my absence."

"Yes, milord. I will guard her well" Isadora replied.

"Mother, I will return alive and unharmed, please rest easy" Eliwood assured his mother one last time.

"You really don't have to worry Lady Eleanora, with my tactical genius helping Eliwood out, we should be able to find Lord Elbert in no time at all" Soren assured Eleanora.

"I'm holding you to that too then" Eleanora said before walking back to Castle Pherae with her guard.

"Well Marcus, Soren, it looks like it's just the three of us" Eliwood said before the paladin corrected Eliwood.

"Not exactly, milord. My man Lowen will also be traveling with us"

"Lowen? That's reassuring" Eliwood said sarcastically.

"I've sent him ahead to the village. He hopes to seek out a few able men who are skilled enough to fight and aid us" Marcus explained.

"It was my idea" Soren said, choosing to take credit where credit was due.

* * *

The group of three waited around for about an hour with Eliwood talking to Marcus while Soren brooded about who knows what (most likely Ninian and what happened to her and Nils) until Lowen came rushing back in a panic with somebody on the back of his horse.

"Lord Eliwood! C-Commander Marcus! I…"

"Calm down Lowen! A knight must be in control at all times!" Marcus ordered.

Lowen took a few seconds to calm down before speaking up again, "The village is under attack! It's bandits!"

"What? Bandits? Here!?" Marcus asked in disbelief.

"Are you sure Lowen?" Eliwood asked.

"This girl has more details" Lowen said while pointing at the green-haired girl in a bandana that was just getting off his horse.

"My lord Eliwood? I'm the daughter of the village magistrate. My name's Rebecca" the girl introduced herself, "The bandits came without any warning. They're stealing everything! I beg you! Please help us!"

"I see" Eliwood said before turning towards and saying, "Marcus! Lowen! Soren! We have to help the village!"

"Yes, milord" Lowen responded.

"Why am I not surprised… I'll get started on a battle strategy" Soren mumbled.

Eliwood then turned towards Rebecca again and said, "Rebecca, stay here and stay out of sight."

"If it would please you, milord, I would rather fight. I hunt almost every day, and I have some skill with a bow" Rebecca said while trying to get Eliwood to let her help.

"Is that so? Alright then, but try to be careful!" Eliwood responded, allowing Soren to add Rebecca into his battle strategy.

"I have my battle strategy ready, Eliwood! It also looks like the bandits are starting to move this way, we'd better move out now" Soren advised Eliwood.

"Right! I'd suggest that you hang back Soren, you might still be injured from that incident last week that you told me about."

"Actually, I feel fine enough to fight, I heal pretty quickly. Besides, these are just a few bandits, I could probably handle all of them when I'm having a good day" Soren said.

"Alright, but try not to overexert yourself, Soren" Eliwood conceded.

"Of course" Soren replied.

* * *

Early on in the fight, shortly after the first few bandits fell from Eliwood's sword strikes, Rebecca's arrows, Lowen's strikes, and Marcus's lance. Two more fighters joined the fray, Soren recognized the red haired one as Dorcas, while the one in the metal headband remained unknown to him. The two immediately helped out by taking down an enemy archer with a few well placed axe strikes. Soren quickly gave Dorcas a nod that he returned before taking off and dispatching a bandit with an Arcwind spell.

Due to Soren's tactical genius and the bandits being complete and total weaklings, the group quickly found themselves at the occupied town's gates with Eliwood challenging the bandit leader, Groznyi.

Groznyi quickly charged at Eliwood, hoping for a quick victory while Eliwood held his blade in front of his face while the sun shone on the blade's tip. Eliwood then bolted at the foolish bandit at a pace faster than the bandit's and pierced the bandit leader's heart, causing the bandit to gurgle out something about luck before dying.

So now without any more bandits occupying the town, Eliwood and his group entered the town and were almost immediately mobbed by happy citizens praising them for their bravery, and thanking them for saving the town from the bandits. Soren then chose to let Eliwood deal with the magistrate while he chose to catch up with Dorcas, seeing as they haven't seen each other in a while.

"It's good to see you again, Soren"

"Good to see you too Dorcas, how have you been doing?" Soren asked.

"I've been fine, you know, doing mercenary work here and there, you?"

"I've been better…"

"Why's that? And where's Ninian anyway?" Dorcas asked, only to see Soren hang his head down while a random storm cloud floated over his head while he said nothing.

Dorcas then sweat dropped and thought, _'I shouldn't have asked… something bad must have happened, but it really isn't my business.'_

* * *

The group then reassembled outside the town while Eliwood was now talking to Soren.

"So we're now heading for Laus, would you mind telling me why Eliwood?" Soren asked.

"I've been told that Laus has currently been collecting arms and preparing for war, so it's possible that my father's disappearance and Laus's arms race are connected somehow" Eliwood explained.

"Well, at least we have a lead now, so I suggest we leave now because we still have enough time to get some more distance between where we are now and Pherae since it's still only midday right now" Soren said.

"You're right there, well then, let's get going!" Eliwood said in a voice loud enough for the rest of the small group to hear.

The adventure has now officially begun…

* * *

Ike and Mia were now running in the direction on Hector's trail when they finally caught sight of a group of four.

"Hey, it looks like we finally caught up to them!" Mia said to Ike before shouting out at the top of her lungs to Hector's group, "HEY! WAIT UP! YOU'VE GOT TWO MORE TRAVEL BUDDIES COMING YOUR WAY!!!"

Hector then turned around and noticed Mia waving her arms in the air while jumping hyperactively, and Ike was right behind her too.

"Oswin, did you send for the two of them to follow me too?" Hector asked.

"No, I was not aware of them coming, my only guess is that Lord Uther saw it fit to send them to assist you" the knight replied.

"Well I'm perfectly fine with them coming along, this group could us another lady" Serra said, happy that another girl would be in the group.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right…" Mia said while spontaneously showing up a few feet away from the group.

"Gah!!! How did you do that?!!" Hector demanded while jumping in surprise over Mia's random appearance.

"She's always been able to do that, it's kinda a self-taught talent" Ike said while appearing in a fashion similar to Mia, causing Hector to jump in surprise again, and make Matthew laugh at the hilarity of the situation.

"Okay, now putting all of this insanity aside, would you mind telling me why the two of you are here?"

"We're here because we want to help, sure, your brother did order us to help you and make sure that you don't do anything stupid, but we probably would have done this anyway regardless of orders" Ike explained.

"And by that, you mean that he ordered YOU, to do this and Mia just simply followed" Matthew remarked snidely.

"Believe whatever you want Matthew, but try to remember that wherever Ike goes, I'm following because I refuse to let him out of my sight! Even if it means going to bed with him…"

"I thought that last part was because the two of you are married now…" Serra said.

"That just means that I have two reasons for that then!" Mia said.

"We're drifting away from the main topic, Mia!" Hector said.

"Oh, right, sorry…"

"I'll let the two of you come along as well, but that means that both of you are under MY command now, not my brother's. Are we clear on this?" Hector asked.

"We knew that right from the start" Ike said with a smirk.

"Alright then, let's move out! The sooner we find Eliwood, the better" Hector commanded while marching off.

"SIR YES SIR!" Mia shouted out with a mock salute before skipping off.

'_Why did I marry her again?'_ Ike asked himself before answering his own mental question, _'Oh, right… it's because I love her regardless of the fact that she'll probably always be a child at heart.'_

* * *

**Mia: That chapter seemed rather short**

**Riku: Well this chapter and last chapter were mostly just to explain the events between the Caelin incident and part two of this story, besides, you should be happy about this chapter due to one of the things it has at the beginning**

**Mia: (Reviews the beginning of the chapter and squeals in delight and then glomps Ike and passionately plants a kiss right on his lips)**

**Soren: I saw that coming…**

**Riku: I would also like to point out to the few loyal readers of this fic that Volke will be making an appearance later on.**

**Volke: 1,000**

**Riku: What?**

**Volke: It will cost you 1,000 gold for me to make an appearance in this bit of reading material**

**Riku: (Reaches into pocket and pulls out 1,000 gold and shoves it in Volke's face) Fine! Here! What do you do with all this money anyway?!**

**Volke: 10,000**

**Riku: WHAT?! It'll cost me 10,000 gold just to get you to tell me what you do with all that money?!**

**Volke: I don't feel like letting people know what I do in my free time (Imagines himself at a striptease club)**

**Riku: Fine then! I'll just have to use my imagination then… (Imagines Volke at a striptease club)**

**Soren: Shouldn't someone say the review request now?**

**Riku: Fine then, Volke, here's 100 gold, say the review request**

**Volke: Thank you, (looks at readers) you will review when you are done reading this, failure to comply will result in paying me a 100,000 gold fee.**

**Riku: Threatening with money… nice….**


End file.
